May / June 2013 during the 2nd Festival of social architecture in Yaroslavl/ Russia The social revolution of 2013 . The theme of this festival —PARK’ing. The main vector is green architecture and land art. The task of the competition is to create these »parks» (‘PARK’ing’ places)- the urban objects for communication of citizens (families, youth, integration of different social and age groups). Contestants have the unique opportunity to have a public dialogue with the historical heritage of the 1000 years old Yaroslavl, to construct a bright and functional object and to express in it the unique artistic credo of an author.
floor plan / pianta
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PROJECT IDEA The design of TwinWalentina bench is based on the idea of duality, it’s a urban object, flexible and functional, allowing the turning of the space surrounding it.
elevations / prospetti
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.
TwinWalentina is a piece of urban furniture that can adapt to any public space and can interface, simultaneously, both sides where ever it is placed. As a module in a wider context, its repetition and or its being placed side by side can create different spaces and situations by simply rotating or combining (i.e. putting the bench near to one another). With these benches, you can create small squares, out of minimal spaces in public parks or in the city streets in order to encourage people to stop and pause, promoting meetings, putting the neighbours in touch with each other and supporting a sustainable mobility.
axonometric projection - exploded / assonometria esplosa
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.
The name TwinWalentina refers first of all to its duality, to its double face, at the duplicity of the space is its ability to create: on one the side the Chaise longue, on the other side the bench. Relax on one side and work on the other side; seriousness on one side and amusement on the other. Secondly, this urban object, interacting with the space, takes its name after the famous cosmonaut Walentina Tereschkowa, who was born close to Yaroslavl.
a bench to rest / una panchina per fermarsi
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.
FEATURES OF THE PROJECT TwinWalentina is made of a double bench with double sitting space installed in a central pivot, allowing it to rotate 360°. The TwinWalentina bench is primarily made of two benches with a 45 cm sitting space, placed side by side but with different functions: on one side a seat with Chaise longue, and on the other side a normal seat with a little table. In planning the bench, we considered that the surface of the sitting area and the seatback, so that it should be easy to clean whilst channeling the rain away. The final goal of the project is to meet to the needs of the users of the public space, offering them, at the same time, different kinds of usage of the bench whilst creating different relationships with one or another side of the park. To meet this goal, the main structure of the bench helps to hold it and to rotate the sitting place, thanks to a round, tubular section.
a bench for work / una panchina per lavorare
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.
MATERIALS DESCRIPTION The materials used for TwinWalentina bench are laminated wood and steel. These two materials, conveniently treated to resist atmospheric agents have been chosen for their diversity, with one being almost the opposite of the other, and because of their use, the structure of the bench is visually balanced.
a bench to relax / una panchina per rilassarsi
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.
a bench for life / una panchina per la vita
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.
explanatory note / relazione progetto
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.
combinations of modules / combinazioni dei moduli
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.
assembly diagram / scheda montaggio
© Britta Alvermann + Massimiliano Corbo. Published on June 17, 2013.