2018
rcb
Concept
The inspiration for the
construction of a bench made of unfired rammed earth derives from the concrete
formwork in the striking Depot Basel space. Its goal is to provide a
contemporary response to what is Basel’s first reinforced concrete building,
constructed in 1912. The form of the round seating arrangement is intended to promote
relaxed group exchanges. The natural rammed earth used for RCB can be ground
down at any juncture without any loss of its material properties, and then reshaped
into a new form.
The inspiration for the
construction of a bench made of unfired rammed earth derives from the concrete
formwork in the striking Depot Basel space. Its goal is to provide a
contemporary response to what is Basel’s first reinforced concrete building,
constructed in 1912. The form of the round seating arrangement is intended to promote
relaxed group exchanges. The natural rammed earth used for RCB can be ground
down at any juncture without any loss of its material properties, and then reshaped
into a new form.
Clay and wood are the
world’s oldest building materials, increasingly applied nowadays in modern
architecture. A specially balanced mixture of clay, sand, gravel and a small
amount of lime allow rammed earth to be used as a construction material. The
reverse mould of the bench is stripped away layer by layer, allowing the clay
to optimally solidify.
The form was developed
in situ using the simplest of means and then modified. The key design issue was
the dead weight of the material, making load distribution and the ideal
material mixture crucial. Additional ribs are situated at the end of the
quarter circle to improve stability and to allow multiple segments to be joined
to form a group bench.
Context
Invitation to design and realise the basic furnishing of the Depot Basel
Material
Rammed earth
Invitation to design and realise the basic furnishing of the Depot Basel
Material
Rammed earth
