playful red tubes form moradavaga’s interactive sound installation at italian fire station

bright red speaking and listening tubes reference traditional emergency vehicle sirens.

Moradavaga edited by christina vergopoulou November 15, 2024 4 min

Moradavaga Enhances Access Route at Kaltern Fire Station

Design collective Moradavaga created the interactive art installation Sirene at a firefighter station in northern Italy, enhancing the access route for emergency vehicles. Commissioned by the Municipality of Kaltern/Caldaro, Moradavaga redesigned the Volunteer Fire Department’s access area to remove an obstructive fountain and facilitate the entry and exit of new emergency vehicles. The fountain, originally designed in 2000 by architects Angonese and Scherer, was shortened to maintain proportion and axis while clearing the way for the vehicles. The existing bench was also extended, creating a plaza-like effect in the area.

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 1 — all images courtesy of Moradavaga

Sirene acoustic Installation Invites Interaction and Playfulness

The second ‘overlapping layer’ of the project is Moradavaga studio‘s playful installation Sirene, which interacts with the surrounding architecture. Featuring bright red speaking and listening tubes, Sirene invites visitors to explore the space in a hands-on way. The installation’s red color and form reference traditional emergency vehicle sirens and align with the fire station’s signature red and existing steel handrails. Through this ‘connecting’ design, Sirene also relates to the gallery Le Carceri located directly across from the fire station.

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 2 — Moradavaga’s Sirene installation enhances the firefighter station in Kaltern, Italy

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 3 — the red interactive steel tubes are designed to match the proportions of the existing steel handrails

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 4 — the installation functions like an old-fashioned tin-can telephone, promoting interaction

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 5 — a newly extended bench creates a welcoming, plaza-like area outside the fire station

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 6 — commissioned by the Municipality of Kaltern/Caldaro, Sirene opens up access for emergency vehicles at the fire station

playful-interactive-acoustic-installation-sirene-moradavaga-designboom-1800-2 — to facilitate vehicle entry, an obstructive fountain was shortened while maintaining its original proportions

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 7 — Sirene, the second layer of the project, playfully interacts with the surrounding architecture

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 8 — bright red speaking and listening tubes invite visitors to engage with the installation in a tactile way

playful-interactive-acoustic-installation-sirene-moradavaga-designboom-1800-3 — this interactive art installation by Moradavaga brings a playful spirit to the functional fire station

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 9 — Sirene aligns with the fire station’s bold red accents and steel handrails, creating visual cohesion

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 10 — the red pipes reference traditional emergency vehicle sirens, connecting the artwork to the station’s role

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 11 — the installation’s form and color make it a bold, vibrant addition to the fire station’s porphyry stonework architecture

playful red tubes form moradavaga's interactive sound installation at italian fire station - 12 — Moradavaga’s Sirene installation transforms functional design into a creative and interactive experience

project info:

name: SIRENE
designer: Moradavaga | @moradavaga

location: Kaltern/Caldaro, Italy

photography: Moradavaga

lead designers: Manfred Eccli, Pedro Cavaco Leitão
collaboration: Francesca Bonadiman, Viktor Eccli

construction company: In Edil Pavimentazioni

steel structures: Metallbau Vorhauser

statical engineer: Christian Scherer

commissioned by: Municipality of Caldaro

thanks to: Walter Angonese, Christian Ambach, Klaus Ambach, Gertrud Benin Bernard, Marco Paolazzi, Andreas Resch, Martin Vorhauser, Dietmar Zwerger

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.