Do you change seats when a stranger sits next to you? I’ve always been intrigued by how a spacious bench often ends up hosting just one person, while others avoid sitting too close. In this design, the bench is imagined as a red steel sheet inserted into a concrete wall, echoing the brutalist buildings across campus. On one side, a person can occupy a single seat; on the other side of the wall, another person can take the opposite seat, both sharing the same bench. The opening in the wall becomes a kind of window—an invitation for two strangers to choose whether or not to engage. Even if no words are exchanged, you might still sense the other’s presence through subtle body movements traveling across the shared bench surface.
