Zuera

Both versions of the ZUERA bench, with and without backrest, were designed by architects Iñaki Alday and Margarita Jover for the Gállego River bank recovery project in the Zuera municipality. This project won the second edition of the European Prize for Public Urban Space in 2002. The grey cast stone benches with wood backrests are set directly on the terraces along the riverbank. The backless benches on the level nearest the water can withstand flooding during the spring thaw that fertilize the banks with specific ecologically valuable flora. The bench volume is a 2 metre long x 60 cm wide forward-slanting paralepiped. The optional wood backrest is anchored to the bench with metal strips that emphasize the slant of the concrete base volume. The ZUERA bench, with and without backrest, has since been installed along the paths in the River Park, based on the project by the same authors for Expo ´08 in Zaragoza.