Sofia drinking fountain 水飲み場 by Dragomir Suka

Sofia drinking fountain 水飲み場 by Dragomir Suka is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2018 A' Design Award 鉄賞 in ストリートファニチャーデザイン Competition Category.

鉄ストリートファニチャー· 2018

Sofia drinking fountain 水飲み場

by Dragomir Suka

Client: Identity

A' Design Award 鉄賞 Winner in ストリートファニチャー Category

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The Design

About Sofia drinking fountain 水飲み場

Sofia（ソフィア）は、公共空間のために設計された水飲み場です。ミニマルな円形のフォルムが、空間の中心的なアクセントを生み出します。水は人が利用する上部から流れ出し、樋を伝って動物用の下部のボウルへと注がれます。絶えず流れ続けることで動物用ボウルの水は常に新鮮に保たれ、余分な水はグレーチングを通して都市のインフラへと排水されます。ボタンを押すと、一定量の飲料水が供給されます。この水飲み場は車椅子利用者にも配慮した設計で、点字による飲料水の触知サインを備えています。本体はブロンズ鋳造で仕上げられています。

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award 鉄賞

Sofia drinking fountain 水飲み場は、よく設計された創造物に期待される専門的・産業的要件を満たす優れたデザインに授与される、権威ある評価である A' Design Award 鉄賞の受賞作品です。鉄賞の受賞作品は、制作者の高い技量、高度な専門性、専門家としての理解、創造的な能力を示しています。Sofia drinking fountain 水飲み場は、高く評価され、称賛され、愛される、実用的で革新的な創造物であることが期待されます。この A' Design Award 鉄賞を受賞したデザインは、業界のベストプラクティスを統合し、ノウハウと才能に結びついた有能な技術的特性を備えています。Sofia drinking fountain 水飲み場は、その徹底ぶりで尊敬され、世界をより良い場所にするための生活の質の向上をもたらすよう設計されています。

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.