Maraca Bench

2026 AIA Austin Design Award of Merit Recipient

The “Maraca Benches” are a small project, with big community impact. Positioned in the heart of the multicultural east side of Austin, our bench proposal for the Longhorn Dam Bridge taps into ideas rooted in the diversity of people and places that surround us. Cultural and geographical symbols and ideas are both driving forces in finding a balanced design that feels engaging for people of all walks of life. A smooth, sculpted wooden seat, made of East Texas cypress, nestles into a steel base that offers eye-catching pops of color to engage visitors as they traverse the new bridge. The rich and often complex history of the local neighborhoods served by the new bridge prompted us to design an object that pays tribute to the many cultures and backgrounds that help make the East Side such a melting pot. With such a large portion of local residents claiming Hispanic and/or African ancestry, incorporating bright, saturated color felt like a must - taking a visually engaging approach that blends into the already-rich and vibrant artist scene. With nods to cultural moments that hold a special place in many of Austinite’s hearts, the benches in this proposal should feel right at home alongside many of the iconic murals, public art, and other displays of color that can already be found dotting the city’s east side.

“The Maraca Bench is a project that I just loved. It did something really extraodinary with a few modular elements to create this sort of play of form and material and it was all brought out of the idea of the maraca and so it had cultural significance in this neighborhood…It looks so fun and it looked like it had a social aspect but also a very strong cultural aspect.”

-Julie Snow, FAIA

Client: The Trail Conservancy

Fabricator: Harvest Lumber

Photo 4-6 by Gustavo Bernal and Photo 7 by Nick Blok