Innovation Design Engineering (MA/MSc)
Ravi Woods
Ravi Woods is creative technologist, with a focus on the design & engineering of interior spaces.
He has a background in Electronic & Software Engineering, having previously gained a 1st class honours in Electronic Engineering from Imperial College. As a software engineer, Ravi has designed and created products for a number of start-ups, with a focus on app and web development.
More recently, Ravi's work has focused on the engineering of interior spaces. He has worked on the engineering design of exhibition spaces, including work for the Victoria & Albert museum and Imperial College's Summer Festival. In addition, at Max Fordham LLP, Ravi has specialised in the lighting design and energy usage of large-scale cultural buildings.
My project, Eccla, is a modular system of furniture for churches. It aims to give church staff the flexibility to use their space in new ways.
As a Christian, I wanted to use this project to better understand how human-centred design can be used within the church context. This was achieved through interviews with congregation members and church staff, as well as visits to churches before lockdown. Many church buildings have a rich, storied past, so designing for them is a balancing act; design solutions must respond to this history, while still adding meaningful innovation.
COVID-19 provides a difficult challenge for many churches. Staff are currently struggling, since traditional furniture is not well designed to the changes needed. In contrast, Eccla responds well to these challenges, allowing churches to quickly adapt to unexpected situations.
We do not know what the future brings, but I hope that Eccla will allow churches to adapt to the changing world, providing meaningful communities for a long time to come.
An overview of Eccla
However, church congregations are beginning to decline. Since 1969, 11% of English churches have closed, and church membership has declined by 8% since 2012. In response, churches are having to use their space more flexibly, with furniture playing a key role. Unfortunately, many think that current solutions (such as stackable chairs) look messy and untraditional within the church space.
Eccla strikes a balance; giving churches the flexibility to use their space in a range of ways, while still keeping a traditional feel in the design. This is achieved through wood and metal finishing, and iconography inlaid within the piece.
Each Eccla bench is made of two pieces - a base and a back - which simply clamp together. This allows Eccla to be used for a range of events within the church, including Sunday services, Bible studies, prayer nights, and children's events. In addition, Eccla also allows churches to rent out their space, as an income source.
Setup for a traditional Sunday Service
Tables & Chairs, for communal events
Curved rows, for a cooperative seminar or lecture
Stacked, with full use of the space
As a straight row, benches can be set up as clean lines, for a Sunday church service, lecture, or a music concert.
Eccla's trapezium-shaped base also allows rows to curve. This creates an infinite possibility of configurations. For example, rows may be curved for concerts, or clubs can set up a circle for children's play.
By unclamping the back, the base can also be used a table. This can be useful for communal events, such Bible studies, prayer nights or coffee mornings.
Finally, the pieces can be stacked and stored. This enables full use of the space, to allow for sports clubs or children's activities, for example.
How the Eccla system might look when setup after COVID-19
How the Eccla system might look when setup after COVID-19
However, Eccla's versatile design would allow churches to properly implement social distancing during a church service, while also allowing families and households to sit together. Aisles can also be varied, allowing for one-way movement in the space.
A range of photos from the user research process
A map, showing locations of churches who were interviewed
Interviews were conducted with staff at 15 different churches. These churches came from a range of locations and church traditions, allowing for a wide range of differing opinions.
In addition, research exercises were conducted along with congregation members.
The range of finishes in the Eccla bench
Possible choices of inlaid iconography
Users often cited the need for customisation in the finish of the piece, to allow the design to be tailored to their specific church. This is achieved through a range of wood veneers and metal finishes. In addition, specific iconography can be inlaid, using a CNC router.