CATENARY GRID SHELL
COMPLETED
SINGAPLURAL DESIGN FESTIVAL PAVILION, SINGAPORE
FUNCTION: Exhibition Pavilion
SIZE: 10M X 8M X 4M
LOCATION: National Design Centre, 111 Middle Rd, 188969, SINGAPORE
MATERIAL: FORMICA LAMINATES
Formica is a pioneer in laminates, and have constantly sought to redefine the limits of the usage of laminates. Laminates is a long-standing material of choice for coverings, with an extensive range of finishes designed to mimic any type of commercially available material when applied to a substrate.
Here, PRODUCE and SUPERSTRUCTURE wanted to approach laminates as a material itself, rather than what it has established itself to be. We looked at its innate qualities, inherent strengths and weaknesses, and even the production process to discover potentially new application methods for the revolutionary material.
SingaPlural is the annual event under the Singapore Design Week since 2012. With the current theme of SingaPlural 2018 “A State in Play”, we did some experiments with the collaboration with Superstructure and Formica to create a showcase central pavilion that we named “Formica for More”.
“Formica for More” showcased the structural ability of Formica laminates as well as its designs and finishes, the dome-shaped structure is a result of the deployment of clever woodworking techniques and creativity to overcome the inherent limitations of laminates.
In creating the central pavilion, we explore ability of twisting the laminates when we cut them into long narrow strips. Each individual strip in the pavilion is created by laminating Formica laminates onto a thin layer of common plywood– tapping into the tensile strength and flexibility of the plywood while reinforcing it with the hardness of Formica Laminates, testing suppleness and stiffness through the combination.
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CREDITS
THIS PROJECT FEATURED IN:
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PHOTOGRAPHY:
Formica (Singapore) Pte Ltd