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Sofia drinking fountain Kasupe Wakumwa by Dragomir Suka

Sofia drinking fountain Kasupe Wakumwa by Dragomir Suka is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2018 Mphoto ya Chitsulo ya A' Design Award in Mapangidwe a Fenicha ya M'misewu Competition Category.


ChitsuloFenicha ya M'misewu· 2018

Sofia drinking fountain Kasupe Wakumwa

by Dragomir Suka

Client: Identity

Mphoto ya Chitsulo ya A' Design Award Winner in Fenicha ya M'misewu Category

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Verified Award Winner

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The Design

About Sofia drinking fountain Kasupe Wakumwa

Sofia ndi kasupe wakumwa wopangidwa kwa malo a anthu onse. Mapangidwe ake ozungulira ndi osavuta amapanga chizindikiro chapakati mu malowa. Madzi amayenda kuchokera pamwamba, opangidwira anthu, kudzera mu ngalande yopita ku mbale yakumunsi, yopangidwira nyama. Kuyenda kosalekeza kwa madzi kumasunga madzi mu mbale ya nyama kukhala atsopano, pamene madzi owonjezera amatuluka kudzera mu grid kupita ku ma pipe a boma la mzinda. Batani limatulutsa muyeso wodziwika wa madzi akumwa. Kasupeyu ndi wofikika kwa anthu ogwiritsa ntchito njinga za olumala ndipo amaphatikizapo chizindikiro cha braille chokhudzika cha madzi akumwa. Thupi lake ndi lopangidwa ndi mkuwa wosungunuka.

The Recognition

About the Mphoto ya Chitsulo ya A' Design Award

Sofia drinking fountain Kasupe Wakumwa ndi mmodzi mwa opambana a Mphoto ya Chitsulo ya A' Design Award, kuzindikirika kolemekezeka komwe kumaperekedwa kwa mapangidwe abwino omwe amakwaniritsa zofunika za akatswiri ndi za makampani zomwe zimayembekezeka kuchokera ku zolengedwa zopangidwa bwino. Opambana a Chitsulo amaonetsa luso lalikulu, ukatswiri wapamwamba, kumvetsetsa kwa akatswiri ndi mphamvu yolenga ya opanga awo. Sofia drinking fountain Kasupe Wakumwa akuyembekezeka kukhala cholengedwa choyamikiridwa kwambiri, chosirira ndi chokondedwa chomwe ndi chothandiza ndi chatsopano. Mapangidwe opambana Mphoto ya Chitsulo ya A' Design Award awa amaphatikiza machitidwe abwino kwambiri a makampani ndipo ali ndi makhalidwe a ukadaulo oyenerera olumikizidwa ndi chidziwitso ndi luso. Sofia drinking fountain Kasupe Wakumwa amalemekezedwa chifukwa cha kusamala kwake ndipo anapangidwa kuti apereke kukonza kwa moyo kumene kumathandiza kusandutsa dziko kukhala malo abwino.

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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