Sofia drinking fountain Fontanna do picia wody by Dragomir Suka

Sofia drinking fountain Fontanna do picia wody by Dragomir Suka is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2018 Żelazna Nagroda A' Design Award in Meble Uliczne Competition Category.

ŻelaznaMeble Uliczne· 2018

Sofia drinking fountain Fontanna do picia wody

by Dragomir Suka

Client: Identity

Żelazna Nagroda A' Design Award Winner in Meble Uliczne Category

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Colors

The Design

About Sofia drinking fountain Fontanna do picia wody

Sofia to fontanna do picia wody zaprojektowana dla przestrzeni publicznych. Jej minimalistyczna, okrągła forma tworzy centralny akcent przestrzenny. Woda spływa z górnej części, przeznaczonej dla ludzi, poprzez rynienkę do dolnej misy, przeznaczonej dla zwierząt. Ciągły przepływ utrzymuje świeżość wody w misie dla zwierząt, podczas gdy nadmiar wody odprowadzany jest przez kratkę do miejskiej infrastruktury. Przycisk uwalnia ustaloną ilość wody pitnej. Fontanna jest dostępna dla osób poruszających się na wózkach inwalidzkich i wyposażona w dotykowe oznaczenie w alfabecie Braille'a wskazujące wodę pitną. Korpus odlano z brązu.

The Recognition

About the Żelazna Nagroda A' Design Award

Sofia drinking fountain Fontanna do picia wody to laureat Żelaznej Nagrody A' Design Award, prestiżowego wyróżnienia przyznawanego dobrym projektom, które spełniają zawodowe i przemysłowe wymagania oczekiwane od dobrze zaprojektowanych dzieł. Laureaci Żelaznej Nagrody wykazują wielką biegłość, wysoką specjalizację, fachowe zrozumienie i zdolności twórcze ich autorów. Sofia drinking fountain Fontanna do picia wody ma być wysoko cenionym, podziwianym i drogim sercu dziełem, które jest praktyczne i innowacyjne. Ten projekt nagrodzony Żelazną Nagrodą A' Design Award integruje najlepsze praktyki branżowe i ma kompetentne cechy techniczne powiązane z wiedzą fachową i talentem. Dzięki starannemu wykonaniu Sofia drinking fountain Fontanna do picia wody cieszy się szacunkiem, a jego zadaniem jest zapewnianie poprawy jakości życia, która pomaga uczynić świat lepszym miejscem.

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.