This month we’re presenting a new design of urban furniture, in this case with the function of projecting shade and offering a resting place to citizens, in squares, public places and urban developments in general, and in water parks, amusement parks, theme parks, animal parks, landscaped areas of hotels and resorts, and shopping centres. It is an element with a circular base that serves as a bench: Helik Shade.
A helicoidal line rises towards the sky in a graceful gesture. Lightness and dynamism come together to produce an almost artistic object, a sculpture whose raison d’être, beyond pure aesthetics, is its practical functionality.. In this way, we respond to the two elements that define any design, function and beauty. The final aim responds to the functional requirement of providing shade and shelter for people, without renouncing a pleasing, or pleasant and cheerful visual appearance. In a play of senses similar to that offered by the Wind Comb by the sculptor Eduardo Chillida, Helik Shade could be called the Sun Comb. Its rays play with the sculptural ensemble, projecting an interesting and changing pattern on the ground.
We built Helik Shade with an internal galvanised steel structure to support the form, which we created with our 3D-Tech modelling system. To add functionality and greater possibilities to it, this Sun Comb rotates on an internal steel base with ball bearings. The beneficiaries of the shade can then rotate it as they wish. The wind itself, after a certain threshold of force, will make the figure rotate in a mysterious and attractive, almost hypnotic manner. The circular bench, which acts as a pedestal for the sculpture, is made of polymer concrete. It can be installed as a single element, or iteratively, depending on the space available and the needs of the users. It can also be manufactured in a wide range of colours.
