area

pfff

gwilcox — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:12:10 +0000

Our entry for the inflatable pfff competition. The form was scripted using python and rhinoscript – based on an earlier script for our 2010 tetra | n project.

Falling Sky Brewery

gwilcox — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 21:02:48 +0000

Images of the finished Falling Sky Brewery project just before it opened. The finished tables used fir that was reclaimed from an old garage on site. The frames were powder coated grey. Let it Pour!

Falling Sky Lights – Final Version

gwilcox — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 18:29:31 +0000

The final version of the lights lost the ‘hair’ but involved a much more sophisticated system of parametric manipulation and scripting for tabing production. A PDF explaining the specifics of the system and more images of the lights installed can be viewed here. On these final versions the tabing is still both structural and ornamental – but used subtly – as a shadow.

Falling Sky – Table Fabrication

gwilcox — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:55:55 +0000

We fabricated the prototype for the table design in our own shop. This gave us the opportunity to make some critical design changes. A key detail shown in the images is the angled cutting of the structural tube – were they meet the side supports. This cut essentially hides the tube from the side – making it seem as if this thin piece of wood is spanning the full distance on its own – keeping the feel of the piece minimal. We actually had to find a second fabricator in Oregon because the first didn’t think the detail would work – and ideologically disagreed with the sense that the wood was spanning when it wasn’t. But we knew better!

Falling Sky – Table Design

gwilcox — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 16:32:38 +0000

The table design for Falling Sky Brewery was inspired by the classic German beer hall table which is picnic table like and communal. This fit with the vision of the brewery. However – we wanted the design to be modern, minimal, flexible, and economical to build. Our idea was to use a standard steel angle and structural tubing for the framing – the wood was to be reclaimed fir salvaged from an old garage on site. We designed the tables in two halves that could work independently or together – and a series of modular sizes – 4′, 6′, and 8′ that would allow for the greatest flexibility in configuring the space.

Falling Sky Lights – Version One

gwilcox — Wed, 18 Apr 2012 15:49:32 +0000

This was a project that began last summer and was completed in January this year. We were commissioned by Rob Cohen to design lights and furniture for a new brew pub, Falling Sky Brewing, that he was opening in Eugene Oregon. These are some images of the prototype of the first version light – what we were calling the ‘hairy one.’ We designed a parametric system in grasshopper to be able to alter the overall form of the light – then after unfolding we ran a script we wrote to create the tabing. The drawing shows how we were experimenting with the morphology of the tendrils. Key was the idea that the tabing not only holds the piece together (i.e. is structural) but also plays an ornamental roll. The only fasteners in the piece are the ones that hold a laser cut acrylic bracket to the body of the light. We adapted an inexpensive IKEA fixture to use as a light source.

kitchen tent | parametric/scripted model

gwilcox — Wed, 28 Sep 2011 00:48:55 +0000

Click on this link to view a short video that demonstrates the parametric/scripting system that we developed in Grasshopper and Rhinoscript to manipulate the digital model throughout the design phase. After a form is selected – a script is run on the main regulating lines to create the structure. Note: the video is without sound. Total Length: 5.45

kitchen tent | study models

gwilcox — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:54:20 +0000

We continue to study the kitchen tent project through a series of physical study models. A wire form was created – following one of the digital studies. This was used as a kind of dressing mannequin to form various surface studies exploring different techniques of patterning the fabric skin. These will eventually be flattened, scanned and re-worked as digital files.

afloat

gwilcox — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:20:14 +0000

This was a project that we worked on this summer in which we were exploring the typology of tent construction – pairing it with digital parametric logic. The entire piece was designed on the computer and the patterns were transferred to the nylon fabric using projection. Of particular interest for us in the piece besides the strategy of digital design and the system of construction – is the interdependency between the fabric and carbon fiber rods. The shape of the piece is in part determined by the pattern of the fabric – but also the weight of the piece which bends the rod into a particular shape. This research is ongoing. Erika Lindsay assisted us on the project. Thanks Erika! The project was produced in support from the University of Michigan.

Kitchen Tent | Great Lakes Sanctuary

gwilcox — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 19:44:46 +0000

A few initial study images of a current project in the office. The steel and fabric structure is designed to house an outdoor kitchen and eating area for a health and wellness retreat organization – located on a rural site in south-eastern Michigan. The project will utilize CNC – pipe bending machinery to fabricate the frame from computer models and pattern making software to design and fabricate the skin from sailcloth.