Unusual seating furniture has recently been installed on the Haarentor campus. Whether seated or reclining, they are perfect for relaxing, learning and socialising. Students from the Technical Education Working Group (ATB) spent weeks working on the three benches.
It is a real eye-catcher: just a few seconds after installation, the first students are already swinging onto the seating and reclining areas of the large benches. The three modern-looking pieces of wooden furniture each offer space for up to eight people. They have been on the canteen forecourt on the Haarentor campus since mid-August.
The initiators of the project are interested in more than just functional seating. "The benches encourage encounters and interaction thanks to their open design," says Tim Wohlann, who coordinates Student Health Management (SGM) at the University of Oldenburg. "They are ideal for studying as well as for conversations and relaxing breaks." The furniture is weatherproof and can be used all year round. "The benches visibly enhance the quality of life on campus," emphasises Wohlann. The canteen forecourt in particular is a popular meeting place.
Students have built furniture
The wooden benches were created as part of a teaching module, initiated by the SGM and the Technical Education Working Group (ATB). "The project is intended to encourage prospective teachers to gain similar practical experience in the classroom later on," report research assistants Lennart Rohlfs and Marius Rothe, who led the ten-strong group in the ATB rooms. Building management supported the project with 2,000 euros. Inspiration came from Bielefeld University. Good experience had already been gained there with similar seating furniture, says Wohlann.
Ten students were responsible for the project over the course of the summer semester. They made drawings of the seating furniture, procured materials - and finally sawed, hammered, sanded and oiled them in the workshop. "Sanding the individual slats was the hardest part for me," recalls student Can Kaptan. For over a month, his project group met several times a week for up to seven hours to work.
"We went through all the steps from the idea to realisation," recalls student Nils Carell. For example, he now knows how important it is to select the right wood and dimensions and to finish the surfaces of the furniture properly. Following the initial success, the team is already considering offering further projects in the coming semesters.
