What started as a simple sketch in Brianna Bobadilla’s notebook has transformed into an eye-catching structure – a hanging table surrounded by benches and elevated side tables. Now on display outside Hunt Hall, just steps from Memorial Union, this piece is one of three unique structures crafted by students in the LDA 160 Design and Build Studio course, which challenges students to build a new small-scale project each fall. Projects from the class have caught the attention of the City of Davis, which will soon display a recent student creation downtown.

For Bobadilla, a junior majoring in landscape architecture, the journey from concept to reality was something special. 

“It was in my tiny sketchbook that I just made up in my mind,” Bobadilla said. “To know that my random idea became this, is pretty wonderful.”

To celebrate the culmination of their hard work, the students held a “ribbon-cutting” ceremony on the final day of class, using yellow caution tape to mark the unveiling of their campus installation.

Course instructors Haven Kiers and Gabino Marquez, from the landscape architecture and environmental design program, guided students through both the design and construction phases. A trip to Europe earlier this year inspired Kiers to have this year’s project focus on architectural follies – whimsical structures meant to enhance the landscape with creative flair. Kiers said this year’s final product does just that.

“Architectural follies are meant mostly for decoration; there’s no real purpose, they’re just for fun,” Kiers said. “We are so excited to see these student projects that look professional and will be used and loved and embraced by the entire community.”

Unique designs

Each student in the course was assigned to create an individual design and together, they voted on the top three. The students who designed the selected projects became team leaders and worked alongside their classmates to bring the designs to life. Bobadilla showed her initial sketch to friends to get feedback on the functionality of the design. She wanted to be sure it was a piece that everyone could use and enjoy.

“The design of the table is really nice because it’s hanging, so that makes it accessible to people in wheelchairs,” she explained. “They can slide right in without having to deal with bars on the bottom. Everyone wants to utilize these spaces and if we don’t make them accessible, no one is going to use them.”

Danielle Lowe, who is majoring in landscape architecture, was another project leader. She knew from the start that she wanted to incorporate swings in her design. The final product features two swings, a table and bench seating with a partial wooden roof that provides shade.

“That day when we finished, looking at it all done, we were like, ‘wow, look at what we did;’ it’s really cool,” Lowe said. “I want all my friends to come see these follies.”

The third piece features a large, curved swing that can fit multiple people. It was designed by Micah Saiki, a fourth-year landscape architecture major, who wanted to add a relaxing spot to hang out on campus. 

“I was inspired by those curved beach chairs, and I wanted something that would sway, and you could lay and float,” Saiki said. “It works, it looks good and it’s comfortable; it turned out exactly how I wanted it to.”

Creating construction plans

After making the initial designs, students prepared construction documents, a set of detailed plans, specifications and instructions needed to build the project according to the designer's vision. Kiers and Marquez helped students create the plans, a process they say helps students understand how a project goes from a concept on paper to being constructed in real life.

“The whole point of the course is that the students are not only designing, which is what they do in landscape architecture, but then they’re actually executing their designs and learning how to draw the construction details and then how to execute them,” Kiers said.

Students spent several weeks adding the wood elements to the metal frames, navigating challenges as they came up, such as when pieces didn’t align perfectly. Marquez, a graduate of the program he now helps teach, commended the students for embracing the complexities of the project and coming up with creative solutions during construction.

“Attaching wood to metal can sometimes be complicated, but this group of students has done a really good job,” Marquez said. “They’ve been really creative and hard-working.”

While the follies currently enhance the blank wall outside Hunt Hall, Kiers noted that the installation is temporary, and the pieces can be moved easily if they need to be relocated on campus.

Connecting campus and community

The new follies follow last year’s project – oversized bright yellow Adirondack chairs that stand out in the Hunt Hall courtyard. Kiers said those student-built creations helped spark a partnership with the City of Davis, which plans to install two identical Adirondack chairs built by students in the coming months to the newly improved G Street corridor in downtown Davis. 

Closed to cars during the pandemic, G Street is being transformed into a welcoming space with wider sidewalks, better lighting and inviting features for dining and gathering. Rachel Hartsough, the city’s arts and culture manager, highlighted how these student-designed creations bring fresh energy to the area.

“We’re going to start with the Adirondack chairs on G Street and I think there’s an open-ended opportunity to look at how else they may be used. We’re hoping they can also be installed at different locations downtown or in city parks, and this could be a pilot to look at future projects,” Hartsough said. “Being able to put these pieces that are student constructed and designed creates such a unique model here, and we’re super excited about it.”

Kiers said the campus is a great laboratory where she and her students can test new ideas, refine them and make them suitable for public installations around the city. Kiers hopes that her team can replicate the follies for the city next year.

For students, the design and build class offers valuable real-world experiences, where they learn to use new tools and software and gain confidence by collaborating with peers and seeing their ideas transformed into physical structures.

“It’s usually sketches, documents and you’re done,” Bobadilla said. “This was the first time I got to bring something to life.”