NewSchool of Architecture and Design (NSAD) students have developed a 12-foot-high modular bench design that will be on display at the ART SAN DIEGO Contemporary Art Fair 2013, on Nov. 7–10 in San Diego’s Balboa Park Activity Center. 


The 40 benches, produced by the students through a collaboration with ART SAN DIEGO, incorporate sustainable design practices and materials and can be reconfigured to suit the needs and ambience of the fair’s center lounge area. The benches feature back-lighting and elongated backs that integrate fabric, creating a swooshing sail visual effect. The seating portion of the benches was designed with ECOR material molded at NSAD’s Materials Lab to provide a comfortable contour. NSAD students have also integrated sustainable approaches to minimize waste of source building material.
ART SAN DIEGO, now in its fifth year, is San Diego’s premier contemporary art fair attended by more than 10,000 people. This year ART SAN DIEGO is demonstrating the future of sustainable-friendly events by coordinating with several partners, including the NSAD students, to set a new standard for creating high design temporary furniture and event infrastructures using recycled materials. 

“NewSchool of Architecture and Design students have a reputation for coming up with creative and relevant designs that enhance our communities through sustainable design approaches,” says Ann Berchtold, founder and director of ART SAN DIEGO. “The students involved in this project demonstrated a professional-level commitment to working on this collaborative project, resulting in this innovative and delightful modular bench design for the fair’s center lounge area that demonstrates the sustainable future of temporary events like ours.”
