Reef
Urban and Public Furniture Design
In the 1970s, placing car tires on the seabed in front of the coasts seemed the winning idea to create artificial reefs capable of stimulating the growth of new marine life, so as to help fishing. Over time, It proved to be a monumental mistake, causing damage to natural corals and polluting the waters; cleanup efforts continue to this day, and have barely made a dent in the enormous number of tires on the ocean floor. We were motivated to encourage a conversation on the theme and designed an ecosystem of sculptural active-seats for the urban space, inspired by the curves of corals, that could make use of these exhausted rubber tires and promote their recovery from the bottom of the sea. These modules could colonize the city as long lasting benches, seats, climbing structures for children, public lamps and create a playful zone where to conversate, play and relax in a more conscious and active way.