By Jill Colvin
DNAinfo Reporter/Producer
MANHATTAN — Everything's coming up roses — or rather, tulips — for Bryant Park’s new garbage bins.
The tulip-shaped trash receptacles, which were installed throughout the park this summer, have been awarded a silver medal by the Spark Awards international design competition.
"It's very exciting," Bryant Park Corporation's design director Ignacio Ciocchini said.
Other top winners include PUMA's "Clever Little Bag" shoebox, which uses 65 percent less cardboard than a traditional shoe box, the "Node" swivel classroom chair, and the futuristic "Dyson Air Multiplier" bladeless fan.
Ciocchini said the grass-green bins were inspired by the plants and flowers in the park and are intended to makes a statement.
"Instead of having a trash can that looks good but is mainly utilitarian, we decided to make the trash can into an element that becomes part of the experience of the park," he said.
The bins took about two years to design, from sketches to prototype to final product, Ciocchini said. There are now one hundred scattered throughout the park, in addition to 25 matching lime green and deep blue recycling bins.
The same bins have also been installed by the 34th Street Partnership in Herald and Greeley Squares.
The bins and the other winning designs are now set to travel to Hong Kong, where they'll be featured at an exhibition. They'll then travel throughout Asia and Europe to cities including Taipei, Beijing, Tokyo, Mumbai, Istanbul, Barcelona and London.
This is Ciocchini’s second Spark Award. He also won a prize for the Chelsea Streetscape Collection in 2009.
The park has also been racking up honors. Its bathroom was recently ranked third in the nation and the American Planning Association named it one of 2010's top 10 "Great Public Spaces in America."
