Case Study: University of Michigan
“Placemaking is turning a public space from a place you can’t wait to get through, to one you never want to leave.” Fred Kent, Founder of Project for Public Spaces.
The Modern Languages Building at the University of Michigan was built in the late 1960’s. Brick walls and cement columns were the foundation of style for this cold utilitarian space that spans five floors and houses classrooms, lecture halls and offices. On any given day, there are 1,500-2,000 students and faculty using this space.
Lacking “Between” Spaces
Since its construction, the Modern Languages Building didn’t have much furniture. This meant a lack of community space and gathering areas for students to charge their devices between classes. This resulted in students sitting on the floor or leaning against the walls. In essence, they were only there because they needed to be.
The school felt an urgent need to foster a stronger sense of community for their faculty, so they embarked on a mission to improve the building’s interior. The challenge was to make an impactful change without creating a costly renovation project, so the Facilities Team
decided to start with the addition of inviting furniture.
Finding the Perfect Fit One of the major considerations for the architects was to find a line of furniture that was customizable. This was important because the building has a lot of tight corners that do not accommodate traditional furniture. With Green Furniture Concept’s Nova C Series, the team was able to specify benches with custom curves to fit into the tight corners. This transformed otherwise dead space into cozy nooks that are very popular with the students. Leaf Lamp Trees were also selected to enhance the space with additional soft, ambient lighting.
The company’s sustainability story and the furniture’s uniquely timeless look and durability were all important factors in the selection of the Nova C Series furniture in this project.
Universally Appreciated
With the help of Green Furniture Concept’s in-house design team, the school was able to furnish three full floors in the building. This simple, yet effective, effort was a huge success. Now the building has become very popular, with approximately 60 students hanging out at any given time. Students are saying it’s hard to find such great community spaces in other parts of campus to work quietly or relax between classes.
