For the Friends We Haven’t Met Yet is a public seating prototype developed under the One Bangkok Urban Furniture Competition 2022 “Seatscape & Beyond,” which sought ideas for public furniture that answers the functional needs of urban spaces. It was one of 10 designs selected for production and installation following a year-long workshopping process with professional designers and experts from various fields. Inspired by Thai mealtimes, the installation is designed as a platform for conversations and exchanges of ideas. It is unevenly spaced and configured in such a way that users always sit facing each other and with gaps in between to encourage social connection in the relaxed atmosphere of One Bangkok.

Made of durable chrome-plated fiberglass, the installation is structurally ergonomic, with fine-tuned curvature to accommodate users’ physiology. Its functionality and aesthetic mirror the modernity of the business district where it is located. Its designers, Chulalongkorn University architecture students Krittee Wongmaneeroj and Viphob Manopanjasiri, are interested in creating urban components that help promote relationships between people and public places. They started their work process with a user behaviour analysis and proceeded from design to production under the supervision of a team of professionals. This ensured that the final product fulfills the functional and aesthetic requirements of public furniture and contributes to the city’s creative economy promotion.