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Dolores
Building
The sixth furniture piece from the SORĠI collection, ‘Dolores’, represents all those heritage buildings with balustrades that were recently extended with highly insensitive glass and aluminium structures.
Unfortunately, most of these extensions disrespect the character and proportions of the original structure.
The structure of the building called ‘Duluri’ in Żejtun was adopted as a case study of poor prioritisation of heritage considerations, in which commercial requirements took a primary role at the expense of vernacular architecture.
An extension has been permitted for a glass and aluminium structure that unfortunately, has no relation to the characteristics of the existing building.
An extensive study on the latter was combined with the design research on potential re-interpretations of the corner motives that make this humble building a heritage element
worthy of preservation.
Bench
CHARACTERISTICS HIGHLIGHTED IN DESIGN:
Balustrade form;
Triangular shapes;
Repetitive pattern;
Sharp angles & edges
The final outcome is an abstraction of the traditional columns’ shape, resulting into combined triangular forms that function as stools. The unfortunate combination of traditional limestone elements and steel and glass cubes led to the choice of materials for the two seats which will be placed at the bus stop on the main square of Żejtun.
The blue terrazzo of one of the two pieces, made from blue glass fragments collected from the ‘Bażilika Santwarju tal-Madonna tal-Karmnu’ in Valletta, is in fact representing the glass of the extensions cropping up everywhere like an infestation. The other seat, limestone colour, was made of recycled aggregates of limestone, and recalls the typical profile of ‘balavostri’.
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