Chair-bombing Mt Baker
Kyle Cotchett
M. Urban Planning
The Mt. Baker Transit Center area is clearly a place people use as a space to move through. The area hosts the light rail, multiple bus stops, and two main arterials. As students have noted during site visits, the area lacks “invitations to stay.” To address this issue, I have drawn inspiration from “chair-bombing” efforts. Chair-bombing is defined as the act of placing DIY seating in public spaces in order to improve comfort, and support social activities and the community’s sense of place. I have designed a modular “x” bench that connects with another bench through a planter bucket inserted where the benches cross. They can be easily rearranged to suit the user’s needs, whether it is for intimate conversation or a group discussions. The benches are not finished so the community can freely paint them and take ownership of the pieces. By bringing clearer invitations to stay through these pieces, this small scale intervention can add to the resiliency this design studio aims to build.
