Civil engineering and architectural science students awarded first place in Canadian bench design competition.
For the second year in a row, Toronto Metropolitan University students have been awarded first place in the CPCI Precast Concrete Bench Design Competition. Tasked with designing a bench using low-carbon concrete, civil engineering and architectural undergraduate students teamed up to develop The Oasis Bench
A rendering of the award-winning OASIS Bench concept.
The OASIS Bench
- Inspired by the competition’s theme of sustainability, the OASIS bench concept was designed to collect rainwater and gradually redistribute it to integrated planters, helping to combat inner-city flooding.
- The team also embraced social sustainability, using a modular design and curved seating configurations to foster inviting spaces for human interaction.
- To help reduce the bench’s embodied carbon footprint, the team proposed using Recycled Concrete Aggregate (RCA) and Supplementary Cementitious Materials (SCMs) for construction.
OASIS’ modular design allowed for adaptable configurations. Configuration 01 created a more intimate, enclosed space, while Configuration 02 was optimized for dense urban settings.
The team behind the work
- The team behind the award-winning OASIS bench concept included architectural science students Bryana Jagdipsingh, Kateryna Stokoz, and Luke De Bartolo, and civil engineering students Awfa Mohammad and Chloe Thorp.
- Supervised by architectural science professor Vincent Hui and civil engineering professor Medhat Shehata, the project helped students collaborate across disciplines, simulating a real-world work environment.
- Civil engineering students were pushed out of their comfort zones, going beyond traditional structures to design organic curves for the bench. The Architectural Science students, on the other hand, needed to consider factors such as bench ergonomics, internal water collection, and drainage systems, which helped them gain a deeper understanding of designing on a human scale.
"The CPCI competition is a great example of how FEAS students can apply what they learn in the classroom to real-world scenarios, working across different disciplines. Congratulations to the team on their success – their first-place award is a testament to their highly collaborative and innovative efforts."
Interested in participating in the CPCI Precast Concrete Bench Design Competition?
FEAS civil engineering students can contact the Department Chair or professor Medhat Medhat Shehata at mshehata@torontomu.ca
FEAS architectural Science students can contact the Department Chair or professor Vincent Hui at vincent.hui@torontomu.ca