Custom outdoor classroom teaching circle
Doty & Sons manufactures a standard line of concrete products, but also manufactures custom products for clients. Our custom division manufactures custom products that ship nationwide. Past projects have included custom benches, bike racks, security bollards and planters. This year Doty & Son’s quoted a project for a school in Chicago. This project included an outdoor classroom teaching circle. This bench would allow outdoor learning and teachers the opportunity to enhance the learning experience outside the classroom.
The bench is 21 foot outside diameter and 12.33 foot inside diameter. The bench is designed with an additional bench on top. The top bench is 18 foot outside diameter and 15.5 foot inside diameter.
Doty & Sons submitted drawings and samples for owner and architect review and approval.
The bench was cast in 13 bottom sections and 13 top bench sections. Challenges included manufacturing the bottom sections with slope in two directions. This included a flat center area (not sloped) for the top bench section to rest. The bench was designed for ADA access. This created additional challenges since the design would have extremely sharp angles on the end sections.
Polystyrene foam was used to help reduce weight in bottom sections. The seat surface was polished and sides lightly sandblasted. The seams were caulked on site after installation.