STUDIO CALAS

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GRIESER PLATZ
The square vocabulary
Square vocabulary as framing for public furnishings - which can be flexibly positioned and supplemented/modified according to requirements.
Square vocabulary as a basis for appropriation and participation.
Given grammar ( square joints for plug-ins) which leave the "speaking" to the citizens.
Flexible placement of elements.
Multifunctional public space that stimulates diversity and creates identity.

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GRIESER PLATZ
Design proposal for Grieser Platz, Bolzano/ITA
Starting Point: The present Grieser Platz is a non-place.
When looking at Grieser Platz today, one thing dominates: motorized individual traffic (MIV). The numerous parking spaces, the oversized roadways and the heavy traffic volume have turned Grieser Platz into a non-place or a non-square. Strolling, high-quality stay as well as an inviting commercial and gastronomic activity are currently scarcely possible or available. The public spatial atmospheric quality of the Grieser Platz of past times has deteriorated, which is why the repair of this important square in the rural-urban fabric of Bolzano seems very important.

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SLAB+

slab+ is an expandable seating design that redefines the traditional dogmas of Bèton Brut. Using new possibilities of advanced digital manufacturing technology slab+ transforms Béton Brut into a gently shaped object.

The defining element of modernist architecture, the "concrete slab", is transformed into a complex 3D shape, which has been made possible by modern 3D printing technology. Two identical slabs, each 55cm wide, 90cm long and 4cm thick - the dimensions of a conventional bench - serve as starting point for the furniture design. While the upper plate adapts to the flexible laissez-faire, the lower one acts as a static support. An act of symbiosis made possible by the interplay of modern fabrication methods. Digital tools meet analogue user behaviour. Sitting, leaning and supporting oneself on the armrest leads to a sequence of differently shaped upper slabs. Repetitive heights meet ergonomic principles and create an inviting seating furniture.
The form of the lower slab follows the lines of forces inside the structure. It is designed so that it optimally uses the physical properties of concrete in order to reduce consumption of material.
Like a "tailor-made suit" that is precisely matched to the dimensions of the body, the seating furniture - both as individual elements or combined to a lively mènage of seating components - demonstratively displays its formal simplicity. The interplay of necessity and comfort leads to this furniture series produced by the renowned Progress 3D Innovation company in Bressanone/ITA.

slab+ pushes the possibilities of Béton Brut further by using advanced digital manufacturing technology. The formal harshness and strict serialism is broken, but the character remains. The mutation to the Concrete Beau, the lovely concrete, is completed.

© Marco Parisi