just a black box transforms from street furniture into kiosk

just a black box transforms from street furniture into kiosk
all images courtesy of tomaso boano and jonas prišmontas

with the rapid growth of urban population and the building density increasing at enormous rates, public space is becoming more and more precious. trying to generate a better use of it, tomaso boano and jonas prišmontas are proposing to build ‘just a black box’, a piece of unobtrusive street furniture which — by lifting up its skin — is capable of transforming into a kiosk for either commercial or public use.

when closed, ‘just a black box’ looks and can be used as street furniture

‘just a black box’ challenges and combines the concepts of kiosk and street furniture. by using simple hydraulic columns, the object is able to lift up its outside layer and become a customizable space with uses ranging from coffee shop, bike repair workshop, library and tickets office, to a small retail outlet or even a mini-cinema. when closed, it provides a series of intimate sitting spaces, that offer shelter from the strong winds and the harsh summer sun.

plan view of the structure when used as street furniture

the kiosk is made using durable vandal-proof materials with exterior finishes that are comfortable and provide pleasurable interaction experiences for the users.
 its sculptural shape, with four different elevations, makes the structure look similar yet different from all sides. the greatest advantage of ‘just a black box’ kiosk is that unlike its predecessors, it is usable 24/7, 365 days per year.

‘just a black box’ aims to create curiosity and evoke people’s playfulness by creating a point of attraction and gathering that can be significantly beneficial in the revitalization of poor quality urban spaces.

plan view of the structure when used as a kiosk

the design of ‘just a black box’ makes it adaptable to different functions

view of  ‘just a black box’ in london

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