BENCH

TECHNOLOGY: CAST REINFORCED CONCRETE

OBSERVATIONS:

• bench bases are often made of concrete; • concrete bases are common due to them being highly wear-resistant and vandal-proof; • prices for this type of design are relatively low; • amount of concrete used is often unnecessarily excessive, not improving the quality; • these solid structures are hard in maintenance and repair.

CONCRETE: BENCH CONCRETE: BENCH CONCRETE: BENCH

ANALYSIS:

MAINTAIN+REPAIR

REUSE+REDISTRIBUTE

REMANUFACTURE

the amount of concrete can be decreased to a bare minimum

their structure being solid makes them almost unrepairable (their renovations being unviable and damage repairs difficult)

hard to relocate for further reuse

almost unrepairable when worn down (due to unviability)

hard (almost impossible or unviable) to recycle due to their huge weight, additional fixtures are rarely needed

often requires specialised trucks or loading equipment

can be stored at ambient temperature, yet the weight and the variety of shapes complicate the space-effective storage

• Decrease the amount of material to a bear minimum needed for functional use. • Opt for the more eco-friendly grades of with higher strength and durability and lower carbon footprint (embodied CO2) • Using modular concrete structures would facilitate maintenance, namely repair and replacement of individual parts.

DISASSEMBLY / ASSEMBLY

TRANSPORTATION

STORAGE CONDITIONS

CONCRETE: BENCH CONCRETE: BENCH CONCRETE: BENCH CONCRETE: BENCH CONCRETE: BENCH CONCRETE: BENCH

RECOMMENDATIONS: