the binding bench

a place to sit together at the Lake of the Woods Ecoregion

benchmark competition
organized by: Storefront Manitoba and the Winnipeg Trails Association
with: Iacopo Neri
images by: Simone Passaro

inside the woods

After the long walks at the Ecoregion surrounding Pinawa, the visitors find themselves in the smallest space in the region; the binding bench that is placed in the forest passing the Pinawa Suspension Bridge.
The design of the bench takes inspiration from the intimate setup of campfires, where participants gather around to form an almost inescapable intimate setting.
The bench is purposefully oriented with its back to the main path, emphasizing the bench space. The configuration of the bench not only provides diverse seating positions, it also creates intimate conditions for strangers to meet, binding visitors from different backgrounds; from eating and singing together - to together looking at the sky.

The bench provides an introverted space, contrasting the open and endless world of the Lake of the Woods Ecoregion; this change in experience will only intensify both experiences.
Giving the visitors a touch of warmth before continuing the journey to the site of wetlands and granite outcrops, the binding bench will be a landmark not because of its presence, but because of the collective experience that it will provide to its guests.

︎ siteplan

︎ bench plan

tectonics

The proposed material for the bench is aspen or pine timber, with a 2x5cm cross-section. 6 frames are used to generate the different experiences of the bench. The tectonics of the bench constitutes of two V frames and the connecting element that allows the rotation; one of the V frames remains the same for all the 6 typologies of frames and the other one has different angles. The two frames are fixed first, to which then the connecting element is added, which is the element that allows the rotation of the frames. The frames could be constructed at the workshop and then mounted on site. The compacted gravel pathways are extended for the bench to be placed.
Depending on the further development of the project, and the discussion with fabricators and the Benchmark curators, the number of frames and size of the bench can be reduced/changed.

︎ frame elements

︎ 6 typologies of frames