Temporary Sitting Area

When I saw this competition prompt, I immediately thought about temporary third spaces. Going to school in New York City, during the warmer months, restaurants set up spaces where customers can sit. These places feel inviting, social, and are easy to set up or take down. I wanted to design a third space that could be used during the warmer months and then easily disassembled when winter rolls around. I envision these sitting areas to be placed around parks.

For this project, I only used Autodesk Maya.

Since I already had a clear idea in mind, I started by sketching out the structure. I imagined a design with removable poles that slot into circular bases. This would make it easy to assemble and disassemble. With that core idea, I refined the layout and finalized my concept sketch.

I began modeling the main structure in Maya. I created one base pole, then duplicated it around the layout to form a symmetrical frame. Having the poles be rectangular instead of circular gives them more structure and stability. I also kept them thin to help keep the build lightweight.

Next, I modeled a central table for the space. I kept the design light and portable. I wanted the table to be something that could be easily moved or packed up, in line with the idea of flexibility and ease.

Then, I added three simple chairs. Like the table, I designed them to be lightweight and easy to store. I imagined people sitting here to relax, chat, or read during warmer days. I also imagined these chairs being able to be put away with minimal effort when the seasons change.

Before jumping into textures, I made a few adjustments to the model. I mainly tweaked the size of the poles and the circular base to make everything feel more balanced and realistic. Once the structure felt right, I started thinking about the color and overall look of the design.

I ran into some issues with lighting since I don’t have access to Autodesk Arnold over the summer and can’t use my school’s computers. Because of that, I wasn’t able to render the scene the way I wanted. I tried using directional lights instead, but the results weren’t quite the same. I did my best to get the design across as clearly as I could.

Here’s the final render!! It is not up to what I would have liked it to look like, but I did this to the best of my ability with the tools I have access to currently. Overall, I am happy with how this came together, from concept to execution. Thank you for checking out my project! I hope you liked my idea of a sitting area for when the seasons change.