Chaya Adelaars' DIY Guide to Enlarging Hostile Architecture Benches

Chaya Adelaars has published a DIY guide titled 'How to enlarge a bench' on Mister Motley, addressing hostile architecture in Amsterdam. The guide responds to the city's practice of shortening public benches from 2 meters to 1.20 meters, particularly in high-traffic areas like Museumplein, Leidseplein, Westertoren, and Stadhouderskade, to deter homeless individuals from resting or sleeping. Adelaars designed a removable extension that restores a bench to its original 2-meter length, using materials like a plank, two beams, a connecting beam, a 'fin' for attachment, foam mattress, and waterproof fabric. The step-by-step instructions include measuring the bench, cutting wood to size, assembling a leg structure, attaching the fin between existing slats, covering the plank with foam and waterproof material, and securing it with screws and nails. The project critiques how urban design excludes vulnerable groups and offers a practical, reversible intervention.