12 different variations on the benches that ranged from tall to short, from individual benches to linked matrices, and from inward facing benches to bleacher-style configurations situated at viewer-friendly overlooks. “Our role was to execute Michael’s vision to Landscape Form’s exacting standards. We were uniquely suited for this project, as not only do we have the extensive casting experience and design insight, but also due to Nicole’s ability to construct and manage what was really a complex matrix of variables,” Kitchin said. “We are interested in the proportions of social interactions caused by a seat, a chair, or a bench. How does that cause people to interact? And when you start linking them together to a bigger scale, how does that create a whole new take on different neighborhoods and different spaces within a city? What was particularly interesting to us about this was working with top-caliber firms Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and Landscape Forms to define a very large urban environment through a series of very intimate interventions.”

The landscapes of modern American cities are currently being transformed one social interaction at a time. New York’s famed Highline is a former industrial neighborhood that was reclaimed and repurposed as public recreational spaces and offers new perspectives on the city. Now, Chicago’s Bloomingdale Trail and Park, a 2.7 mile long path carved out of an abandoned rail line, links diverse neighborhoods and provides common space with unique social interactions, exposing views of Chicago previously inaccessible. UVa grad (College ‘87) and Architecture Department lecturer, Alexander Kitchin, and his partner, Nicole Sherman of fineconcrete, have made an important contribution to the overall experience through the design collaboration and fabrication of nearly 200 benches that line the trail. Due to their award- winning design background and expertise in complex concrete casting, Kitchin and Sherman were approached by Michigan-based urban furniture maker Landscape Forms to produce the pieces. Kitchin & Sherman are also one of only a few licensed fabricators in the U.S. of an ultra-high-performance concrete called Ductal, which is 10x stronger and more dense than even the strongest traditional concrete. Fine Concrete and their lead fabricator, Patrick Schoonover (SARC ‘12), worked closely with the office of acclaimed landscape architect Michael Van Valkenburgh (whose deep ties with the UVa Architecture Department included a visiting professorship this fall) to create 12 different variations on the benches that ranged from tall to short, from individual benches to linked matrices, and from inward facing benches to bleacher-style configurations situated at viewer-friendly overlooks. “Our role was to execute Michael’s vision to Landscape Form’s exacting standards. We were uniquely suited for this project, as not only do we have the extensive casting experience and design insight, but also due to Nicole’s ability to construct and manage what was really a complex matrix of variables,” Kitchin said. “We are interested in the proportions of social interactions caused by a seat, a chair, or a bench. How does that cause people to interact? And when you start linking them together to a bigger scale, how does that create a whole new take on different neighborhoods and different spaces within a city? What was particularly interesting to us about this was working with top-caliber firms Michael Van Valkenburgh Associates and Landscape Forms to define a very large urban environment through a series of very intimate interventions.”