AATISMO revives traditional dry stone wall construction for this sustainable bench in japan

aatismo revalues forgotten masonry methods

Reviving traditional masonry techniques fused with industrial materiality, AATISMO’s Stonewall Bench inserts a metal seat to a masonry wall in Niimi City, Japan. Made using the dry stone walling construction technique, the public fixture is built solely by piling up existing local stones by hand. Without using mortar or concrete, the weight of the stones and their interlocking create a small structurally sound wall which doubles as the bench’s backrest. The project is conceived as a way to create more opportunities for local communities to learn about the forgotten dry stone walling technique, which is currently being re-evaluated as a sustainable construction method.

all images courtesy of AATISMO

stonewall bence: a sustainable construction prototype

Dry stone walling is a traditional technique used for stone walls in castles, and in terraced rice paddies in mountainous areas where stacked stones can create extremely long-lasting structures by local communities. While this was a familiar technique at the time, these days old, crumbling stone walls have been abandoned and replaced with concrete structures. Reviving the dying tradition for more environmentally friendly construction, studio AATISMO creates the Stonewall Bench in collaboration with Dry Stone Walling School of Japan, and Ashidachi Lime Co.,Ltd.

Stonewall Bench is composed of a stone wall and metal seating fixtures. Usually when piling, iron rods are inserted into the gaps between the stones, and a board is passed over them to provide a temporary scaffold for piling stones even higher. Referring to this method, AATISMO places the metal seating fixtures by simply inserting the rods into the gaps between the stones. Since the gaps between the stones are not at regular intervals, a perforated metal is provided on the underside of the bench to accommodate misalignments.

Due to the structure’s independence, Stonewall Bench can be built anywhere — from natural landscapes and rural towns to busier cities. Moreover, it can easily be built and repaired again and again using only human power and existing local materials from the earth. Therefore, it is conceived as a way to create a new potential of stone walls in cities as street furniture and, consequently, to popularize the dry stone wall technique.

Stonewall Bench inserts a metal seat to a masonry wall in Niimi City, Japan

AATISMO revives the forgotten dry stone walling technique as a sustainable construction method

the public fixture is built solely by piling up existing local stones by hand

a fusion of traditional masonry techniques and industrial materiality

the interlocking stones form a backrest to the bench

metal seating fixtures are attached to the stones by rods inserted into the gaps

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project info:

name: Stonewall Bench
designer: AATISMO
location: Niimi City, Japan

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edited by: ravail khan | designboom