Sofia drinking fountain Fuente de agua potable by Dragomir Suka is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2018 A' Design Award de Hierro in Diseño de Mobiliario Urbano Competition Category.
HierroMobiliario Urbano· 2018
Sofia drinking fountain Fuente de agua potable
Client: Identity
A' Design Award de Hierro Winner in Mobiliario Urbano Category
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The Design
About Sofia drinking fountain Fuente de agua potable
Sofia es una fuente de agua potable diseñada para espacios públicos. Su forma circular minimalista crea un acento espacial central. El agua fluye desde la parte superior, destinada a las personas, a través de un canal hacia un recipiente inferior, destinado a los animales. El flujo continuo mantiene fresca el agua del recipiente para animales, mientras que el agua excedente se evacúa a través de una rejilla hacia la infraestructura municipal. Un pulsador libera una cantidad determinada de agua potable. La fuente es accesible para usuarios de sillas de ruedas e incluye un cartel táctil en braille que indica agua potable. El cuerpo está fundido en bronce.
The Recognition
About the A' Design Award de Hierro
Sofia drinking fountain Fuente de agua potable ha ganado el A' Design Award de Hierro, un reconocimiento prestigioso concedido a buenos diseños que cumplen los requisitos profesionales e industriales que se esperan de creaciones bien diseñadas. Los ganadores de Hierro demuestran gran habilidad, alta especialización, comprensión experta y capacidad creativa de sus creadores. Se espera que Sofia drinking fountain Fuente de agua potable sea una creación muy apreciada, admirada y querida, práctica e innovadora. Este diseño ganador del A' Design Award de Hierro integra las mejores prácticas del sector y tiene características técnicas competentes unidas a conocimiento práctico y talento. Sofia drinking fountain Fuente de agua potable es respetado por su minuciosidad y está concebido para aportar mejoras en la calidad de vida que ayudan a hacer del mundo un lugar mejor.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- Sofija - drinking fountain offers a design with central spatial accent through a powerful but minimalist line form. Minimalist design in a unique way allows all users an equally easy access to the drinking water in the public space. Characteristic is the water decant through the trough from the upper part, intended for people, to the lower part, intended for animals. This way water is always refreshed in the animal bowl with excess water being spilled over to the bottom of the fountain and from there into the infrastructure.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Sofija - drinking fountain dimensions 1170 x 400 x 1000 mm.
- Tags
- drinking fountain, drinking water, wheelchair users, sight impaired, animal bowl
- Production Technology
- First 3D wood models of individual cast mold for casting various parts are created following the computer model, with the CNC milling machine. Second, a classic casting of bronze is performed in already prepared molds. Casted parts are bristled and vibrated with special plastic sockets to obtain a smooth surface.
Fountain Elements:
- a round shaped base that connects the fountain with the municipal infrastructure
- casted body with the animal bowl that has water flow system to maintain water quality
- drinking water sign with tactile-touch on braille - Design Challenge
- Biggest designers challenge is the realization of the practical design. In the time where profit is the key ingredient, it's difficult to design for general social needs or to incorporate design into a practical and useful application with a human note. While creating this design I wanted to create a contemporary, urban, ergonomic product of high aesthetic value. The possibility of realization depends not only on the design but also on the decision makers and the series of legal assumptions - choosing the location, various permissions, necessary infrastructure, quality contractor...
- Research
- After I came up with the idea of dealing with the solution for a drinking fountain I studied the current solutions in the world. The research has shown that there are a large number of different and already realized forms, but there is no solution similar to the proposed one. Many solutions, in my opinion, do not have essential ergonomic values, multifunctionality, stylistic features, appropriate material..
The goal has been to design a multifunctional fountain that will attract passersby and consumers with its design, which will fit into different public spaces and last in time and space. - Inspiration
- Public space where I live has only one drinking fountain that is out of function. Urban environments deserve public access to free drinking water as a standard of the modern civilization. Cupped hands and circle were primary inspiration for the shaping of the Sofia drinking fountain. Circle, as the ideal form gave the design a recognizable and unique form where larger (cupped hands) form in the base transcends into a smaller form on the top following circle radius.
- Project Duration
- Project started in July 2016 in Karlovac (Croatia) and was exhibited in Ars Publicae in September 2016 in Zagreb (Croatia).
- Operation Flow
- By pressing the button a certain amount of drinking water is released. The water continues its visible path through the fountains to the animal bowl. Its multifunctionality is manifested in the facilitated access for the wheelchair users, people with a visual impairment (drinking water sign with tactile-touch braille), pets and feral animals through a dedicated bowl at the bottom. Bowl has a grid-shaped form to drain excessive amounts of water. Foundation panel can be used as a place for city emblem, city name or text indicating it's drinking water.
- Team Members
- Designer: Dragomir Šuka
3D Visualization: Predrag Šuka
Marketing: Nemanja Šuka - Image Credits
- Image #1: Design: Dragomir Šuka / Illustrator: Predrag Šuka, 2017.
Image #2: Design: Dragomir Šuka / Illustrator: Predrag Šuka, 2017.
Image #3: Design: Dragomir Šuka / Illustrator: Predrag Šuka, 2017.
Image #4: Design: Dragomir Šuka / Illustrator: Predrag Šuka, 2017.
Image #5: Design: Dragomir Šuka / Illustrator: Predrag Šuka, 2017.
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