french designer jean couvreur unveils ‘banc frais’, a refreshing public bench created for the lyon city demain festival. the furniture, made of white concrete, integrates a small water surface fed by a pump system. thanks to its materiality, porosity and inertia retain the freshness of the water.
image © matthieu gauchet
while global warming could lead to a 1-2 degree increase in temperature by 2050, the development of city center buildings amplifies this phenomenon and contributes to the sensation of heat in public spaces . in the past, fountains provided hygiene and freshness to village squares, as well as collecting drinking water; they were also spaces around which people gathered. with ‘banc frais’, jean couvreur wants to encourage spontaneous uses and turn the bench into an urban oasis, a fertile island during the lyon city demain festival.
image © matthieu gauchet
beyond the technical demonstration, the project aims to highlight simple and inexpensive initiatives, from small to medium scale projects. it valorizes archaic principles and techniques often forgotten or too little exploited. ‘like a block cut in the mass, banc frais is the pure expression of the material’s capacities: a volume of raw concrete, delicately dug in the center, as if the water had eroded it. From its center springs the source of a water which evaporates gradually,’ explains the designer.
image © matthieu gauchet
image © matthieu gauchet
image © matthieu gauchet
image © matthieu gauchet
project info:
dimension: 3 m x 1.70 m
weight: 3.5 tons – 300L tank operated by a manual pump
manufacture: GCC Sponsors – GCC / CNR
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: lea zeitoun | designboom
concrete architecture and design (159 articles)
jeonghwa seo crafts brutalist concrete interior for etcetera cafe in seoul
antony gibbon translates mobius strip surface into sculptural concrete house
FORMZERO introduces urban farming in malaysia with the planter box house
design news
NOMAD st moritz takes collectible design to the alps
#design
NOMAD mixes high-end modern and contemporary art and design redefining the classic idea of fairs and exhibitions and showcasing works in incredible architectural »
NOMAD mixes high-end modern and contemporary art and design redefining the classic idea of fairs and exhibitions and showcasing works in incredible architectural locations.
randy grubb invents a magic double decker bus with elevator to boot
#design
step inside this two-story moving sculpture.
step inside this two-story moving sculpture.
snøhetta recycles worn-out fish nets and ocean waste into S-1500 chair for NCP
#design
the project contributes to building a local, circular economy, as it employs plastic waste from the local industry to produce chairs in the same area.
the project contributes to building a local, circular economy, as it employs plastic waste from the local industry to produce chairs in the same area.
designboom presents LEXUS design award 2019 finalists
#design
this year’s finalists employed technology in even more creative ways to conceptualize transformative solutions that have the power to change lives.
this year’s finalists employed technology in even more creative ways to conceptualize transformative solutions that have the power to change lives.