Updated seating across campus provides more durable and accessible options

By Theresa Hogue on June 13, 2025
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Bench on campus

Two recent projects led by University Facilities, Infrastructure and Operations employees are creating new places to sit on campus. Recently installed benches are updating the look and feel of seating areas and welcoming community members with a range of needs.

Facilities Services is currently replacing the older wooden benches scattered around campus because Oregon’s rainy climate and the Corvallis campus’s extensive tree canopy cause the wood to accumulate moss and eventually begin to rot away. The department is gradually replacing them with steel benches, as the more durable material has a longer lifespan.

The bench replacement project has been a group effort with employees from the landscape, carpentry and maintenance shops participating. To source the benches, Facilities Services partnered with Radius Pipe Bending and Fabricating in Junction City.

Facilities Services began the project last fall and has installed new benches at Bexell Hall, Gleeson Hall, Ballard Hall and the Crop Science Building as well as several street and walkway locations around campus. Replacements continue this spring as batches of benches from Radius arrive.

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Man installing bench

Another recent project approached seating from a different viewpoint. Last year, Facilities Services and Project Delivery employees collaborated to complete a custom bench that was initially proposed as part of the Community Hall Slope project. The bench is intended to create a welcoming and comfortable space for individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

The bench was designed with input and guidance from Molly Rogers, an accessibility specialist who worked as a consultant on the Community Hall Slope redesign. Rogers is currently an instructor at OSU-Cascades.

Rogers worked with the project team to design an entire space that took a holistic approach to accessibility and would feel inclusive to as many people as possible.

The bench is positioned off to the side of the courtyard and outdoor classroom area between the Pharmacy Building and Furman Hall. The location was chosen to provide a view of the courtyard’s stage and a landscaped garden area but with some separation from large crowds, which can be overwhelming for a person with ASD.

“Very often, the needs of people on the autism spectrum are overlooked or considered too hard to integrate,” Rogers said.

“We came up with this bench with arms that are high so that when they sit in it, they feel like they have a safe space,” project manager Ryan Wilson said.

Other special features include a wide seat, designed to accommodate one person, with enough room for someone to sit cross-legged or with their knees pulled up.

The ASD bench is part of the holistic, accessibility-focused design process that guided the Community Hall Slope project. Other design elements, such as wider sidewalks, ramps and strategically colored and textured pavement help users with mobility limitations or low vision navigate the area. 

Employees in UFIO say these seating projects reflect a strong commitment by the team to lead the way in making the Corvallis campus a place that ensures spaces remain welcoming and accessible for users with varying needs.

~ Rebekah Pike