farwaste experiments with bikes to activate folding partition walls
(above) the bike mechanism allows to easily move the partitions walls
all images © matteo nobili

 

 

 

farwaste is a torino-based studio raised by four young architects and designers in 2012. the atelier is involved in architecture, interior and graphic design, artistic installations, exhibition stands, and didactic workshops. their approach is strictly linked to the environmental, economic, and social elements that labor involves. their projects mix the different areas of knowledge achieving results that bring the person to the core of the productive process.

 

‘b*wall’ is a project involving the realms of architecture, mechanics, and up-cycling. it is a folding wall, activated by a mechanical system, linked to a bike, created for the multipurpose events room at the laboratorio di via baltea 3, in turin, italy. once a person gets on the bike and starts pedaling, the fabric wall, thanks to its mechanism, will start coming up, transforming two rooms into one.

farwaste bwall designboom
it’s possible to move each wall by selecting one of the tree gears

 

 

 

‘b*wall’ is realized with materials and objects that have come to the end of their life cycle, and were chosen for the soundproofing and acoustic absorption characteristics. they include 90 square meters of carpet left behind during the de-installation of the 2014 international book fair in turin, 70 square meters of honeycomb cardboard used originally for the packaging of printing materials, and bicycle components that were no longer being used.

 

as for the mechanics, the folding wall is made up of three independent parts linked to a pulley system, wheels and cables, activated by the pedals. this allows the ‘b*wall’ to be moved easily and seamlessly, just with the energy created by a human body in motion.

 

video courtesy of  farwaste

farwaste bwall designboom
each gear is connected to a winch that controls the movement of the walls

farwaste bwall designboom
the winches activate the pulley system, the wheels, and the cables 

farwaste bwall designboom
the three walls in lowered position 

farwaste bwall designboom
the three walls in mid-position

farwaste bwall designboom
the three walls in lifted position

farwaste bwall designboom
the shaped surface is soundproofed and has acoustic absorption characteristics

farwaste bwall designboom
the wall divides one big room into two smaller ones

farwaste bwall designboom
section

farwaste bwall designboom
plan

 

 

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.

 

edited by: juliana neira | designboom