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Yoav Menachem BFA PRODUCT DESIGN ’12 New York City is known for its long-established neighborhoods, each with its own time-honored gathering places. But when Yoav Menachem moved to the city and began exploring, he noticed communities of a less permanent kind: groups of people waiting to cross streets, standing on subway platforms, sitting together in parks. “In the city, we’re constantly creating temporary and random communities shaped by our interests, activities, and whereabouts from moment to moment throughout the day,” says Menachem.
Menachem created RE:SPACE for his thesis class, taught by Len Mayer, Peter Allen, and Carla Ross Allen. In developing the project, he researched public spaces, met with city officials about requirements for street furniture, and prototyped several versions. Users can create various seating arrangements by rotating adjacent units, allowing individuals to sit alone reading, gather in groups for events, change the direction seats face, and sit in sunlight or shade.
For his thesis project, RE:SPACE, Menachem developed reconfigurable street furniture designed to encourage city dwellers to notice and reflect on these temporary communities. RE:SPACE consists of seats that can pivot, enabling users to create a variety of arrangements with neighboring units. RE:SPACE’s flexibility allows people to interact with their ad hoc neighbors while taking a brief rest. Menachem now works for Tzelan, a team that creates features for high-end hotels designed by interiors firm Tony Chi & Associates. He is also designing furniture for a Jewish community center in Rhinebeck, New York, in collaboration with fellow Parsons graduates. www.yoavmenachem.wordpress.com