Transitional Furniture Ideas

So the take that I will be looking at for my Koha project is designing a public/third space in which facilitates transition. Brainstorming following our meeting with the third year branding students has proposed a few ideas in which I could design a transitional space..

Firstly, the branding students have introduced us to the idea that the users, i.e. students, staff and/or public are the ones that could be the ones to undergo a transition. For example if a student is stressed out, they could come to my public space to relax and leave rejuvenated and inspired to keep working. 

Secondly, I could consider the idea of creating different levels or 'zones' within the space which could have a different aesthetics or activities to help create the transition throughout. This could be done through adapting the terrain that the space lies on. I could recess into the ground for example or go up into the sky to create a mezzanine or something?

Thirdly which I feel I would progress with is envisioning the space as fully interactive, transformable dependant on each user's needs. The branding students emphasised not stereotyping the target audience but instead create personas for each. However in doing this, I still feel that what each person looks for in a public space is different. If I was to for example use furniture that was transformable which one could use at their own discretion, I feel that people would use my space a lot more. I am keeping in mind that with the master plan and looking to the future, the Marae is going to be used a lot more and therefore the public space that I am designing for will also act as an event space too. If I can use transformable furniture that could be put away potentially even into the ground it would help to transition this space from an event space to a place to relax very easily and thus hopefully would increase it's use.
Fold out / pop up furniture?
Could incorporate an area for storage to build my transitional space?
 - comes out of the ground?

What is needed in my space?
Tables for eating at
Chairs
Sculpture? - way to create unity between all colleges in the university
Vegetation - trees, lawn etc.
Water
Shelter - for both sun and wind/rain