Slope

SLOPE is a vibromolded reinforced cast stone element that allows nature to be reproduced in urban settings and urbanity to be dissolved into nature. SLOPE has emerged from a detailed study of reptile tissue, the way the scales come together and the way structure is transformed in transition when movement is required. By learning from the systems that build up these natural tissues, we are able to synthesize an ambiguous yet attractive, versatile piece. Its shape insinuates the multiplicity of the designer’s tools and arrangements which lead them to the parameters for a new cortex. SLOPE merges naturally into its setting, opening up a play of forms and colours when modules are added on to each other. Its undulating orographic surface projects the idea of comfort, rest and contemplation to passers-by. SLOPE is available in the standard range of colours, and its finish includes mild acid-etching. It can be installed unanchored, and is self-stabilised on account of its 1500 kg weight. This street furniture was designed for Escofet in 2000 by Felipe Pich-Aguilera, architects. They explain: “One of the important features of today´s society is probably the search for a new relationship with nature; new patterns, new systems and also new forms, which make us perceive the action of progress in harmony with the surrounding natural context, allowing us to integrate it and be integrated into it. SLOPE transfers this concern into the realm of street furniture, and its ultimate expression should be the start, not the finish, of a generating process that moves in the same direction from diverse, complimentary appreciations.”