COURTYARD OF HONOUR, UNIVERSITY OF MILAN - A ‘two-faced’ bench that combines different forms of knowledge and traditions, encouraging socialization in public spaces. Regardless of the climate

The Sit Together bench is part of the project of a new range of street furniture that adapts to climate change, designed by the Berlin-based multidisciplinary studio Topotek 1 with the support of MDT-tex.

The prototype presented in the Courtyard of Honour is the result of the formal union between the classic European bench and the wind tower of ancient Persian tradition: a welcoming bench at any time of day and in any season, on which people can sit and socialize. On one side it is warmer and darker, on the other cooler and lighter, while the tower protects it from the sun.

When it’s hot, the nebulizers at the top of the tower cool the hot air and direct it downwards, so that a light breeze flows through the holes above the base. In winter, the dark surface of the bench has the function of absorbing and retaining the sun’s warmth. The project stems from a reflection on the new social needs and behaviours enforced by climate change.