This time I write a post about three signals within the trend ‘Sustainable Cities’. What these signals have in common is the link to the theme ‘Outlive’. People can move anywhere around the world and create a livable space at any desired place (Human Movement).
Values of the cluster ‘Outlive’: freedom, movability, isolated
‘Parkbench Bubble’
Dutch artist Thor Ter Kulve designed an eco-friendly bench construction features a solar-powered charging station and an inflatable shelter. The project ‘Parkbench Bubble’ is a design for the exhibition ‘Future Stars’ at the contemporary art en design museum Aram Gallery in London. A bench in the city can turned into a place where you can hide for the rain.Due to the USB Charging station is it also possible to recharge electronic devices. The materials, which are used for this modern and social project, are reclaimed pine, UV- resistant nylon and a battery made of solar panel. So it do not have harmful effects on the environment so this supports the existence of the future sustainable cities. Due to its light material the portable space can blow up and deflated in a few minutes.
Sources
http://www.psfk.com/2014/10/future-stars-solar-powered-design-bench.html
‘Cloud’
The Swedish designer Monica Föster created a portable room called ‘Cloud’. The room is easy to transport with the corresponding bag and can be used for different purposes such as meetings, resting and concentrating. The project is inspired by the fantasy of being among clouds and she wants to create a space that can isolates you from a noisy environment. The light material nylon is used for this project. This makes is easy to transport to anywhere you go and want to create a quiet place deserted form the busy world around you.
Sources
http://thefacedesign.com/Work/Experimental_Design4/300
http://www.offecct.se/en/products/room-dividers/cloud
‘Antoine’
Bureau A, a studio led by architect Leopold Banchini and Daniel Zamarbide, created a project named ‘Antoine’ as a tribute to main character of a novel by the Swiss writer Charles-Ferdinand Ramus. The story is a about a men who have to survive seven weeks under the rocks in the Alps after he fall of one of them. Antoine is a wooden cabin and it is only big enough for the live of one person. The cottage contains the basic elements to survive, a fireplace, bed, table, chair and a window. As a reference to the ancient Swiss tradition of hidden bunkers, the cabin is covered with a bark that disappears into the landscape of the Alps. In this way someone can hide and live in freedom in the countryside. The shelter made of rocks is designed by Verbier 3D Foundation.
Sources
http://www.archdaily.com/580654/antoine-bureau-a/
http://www.ignant.de/2015/01/12/antoine-by-bureau-a/
https://vimeo.com/114764076
Why is it cool?
What all these signals have in common is the place for one person. They can all be placed at any location and they will take you out of your surroundings. The projects are inspired by air and survive, whether it is, in a busy office building or in the mountains. It reminds me of gasping for breath when you are trapped somewhere and feel cramped, hare away seems the only option at that moment. I believe that these signals are results of the busy society we live in at the moment. People literally flee to areas where they do not have to be concerned with what is happening around them, but only with themselves. Therefore the project ‘Parkbench Bubble’ is contradictory in my opinion. Because people seek a place to hide but then they are nonetheless confronted with the possibility to charge their phone. What do these signals mean for the sustainable city of the future? I think in the future, cities going to create a place in the town where people can come to rest. No radiation of electronic devices and a place where they can be together, here and now. We are no longer working on one thing at the time, thanks to social media. This could develop into a park where the project ‘Parkbench Bubble’ is a part of or an offline location in a noisy city filled with ‘Clouds’. These are also reaction on the values of Outlive. We want to be free to be online of offline and due the mobility people can make this shift quickly, you can be on the other side of the city in a sec if you want to.
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