WHY led the outreach process, helping the school to create a project committee and a project management team to define the engagement strategy. It was important that our team went into the workshops without any preconceived notions – the design process was informed first and foremost through collaboration with students and staff. The final design for the cafeteria activates underutilized spaces, increasing overall capacity within the existing footprint by ensuring that each space -- whether seating areas, servery, or workspaces -- served at least one function. The spaces are designed to be inherently “hackable,” providing students with control over their environment.

The WHY Objects workshop also designed custom furniture which accommodates a range of social needs. Rather than installing fixed furniture to prevent items moving elsewhere on campus, we designed lightweight, brightly colored chairs and table segments which stand out easily. The purposefully irregular hexagonal tables can be combined in clusters to support gatherings of many sizes, preserving personal space while encouraging social exchange.