The open plaza around the Anderson Collection museum at Stanford University is an area dense with possibilities for spatial experimentation and social interaction. What kinds of “social furniture” — furniture that catalyzes positive social and collaborative behavior between strangers — would enhance the experience of this public space?

To explore these questions and to examine space around the museum, MoreLab led a series of social furniture exploration and prototyping workshops with University students, faculty and staff. Using inexpensive and off-the-shelf materials, workshop participants developed a series of social furniture prototypes that explored the Anderson Collection grounds and adjacent buildings, and created interactive modules that invite collaboration, informal social interaction, experimentation and play.