Articles By: Blaine Brownell

Papton

Papton is a lightweight chair that emerges like origami from a folded composite panel. For their design of the chair, Fuchs + Funke sought to obtain maximum stability with minimum weight as well as unlimited functionality and sculptural form. The chair is therefore the result of a simple polygonal pattern,...

September 7th, 2009 | paper | Read More

Meta-Coat

The Meta-Coat process allows many metals to be replaced by metal-plated plastics, thus saving energy and operating expenses. When print-industry rollers are made of carbon fiber–reinforced plastic (CFRP), for example, approximately up to seventy-five percent of energy can be saved over using conventional...

September 6th, 2009 | metals | Read More

UltraGlasFlooring

UltraGlas Inc. offers an embossed low-iron glass for flooring and other surface applications. UltraGlasFlooring may be laminated for suspended applications. It is available in seventeen standard surface textures that satisfy coefficient of friction requirements for dry environments; the application of...

September 5th, 2009 | glass | Read More

Fabcell

Fabcell is a chameleonlike fabric that changes color when conducting an electric charge. Developed by Dr. Akira Wakita’s Information Design Laboratory at Keio University in Japan, Fabcell is a flexible, nonemissive fabric made of fibers dyed with liquid-crystal ink and conductive yarns. These materials...

September 4th, 2009 | feature, interactive | Read More

CART

The lack of accurate infrastructure mapping has resulted in the loss of billions of dollars annually, in addition to needless physical harm. Infrastructure documentation is notoriously inadequate, and accidents often occur when workers cut lines without being aware of their existence (gas, sewer, steam,...

September 3rd, 2009 | digital | Read More

Temporal Light

Rachel Wingfield’s Temporal Light is a tiling system designed to illuminate public and private spaces. The system utilizes knitted electroluminescent wire cast in resin with electronics. Each tile forms a pixel that responds to a moving shadow being cast upon it, mapping a physical pathway with an...

September 2nd, 2009 | light | Read More

LightBlocks

LightBlocks panels are a patented, durable, light transmitting medium used for partitions, ceilings, furniture, doors, lighting fixtures, flooring, and sculpture. MB Wellington Studio utilizes a variety of clear polymer materials and applies a matte finish and fingerprint-block coating to them. Color...

September 1st, 2009 | plastic | Read More

Maplex

Maplex is an environmentally responsible alternative to traditional wood building materials. Maplex P (Performance) is a high-density fiberboard with twice the bending and tensile strengths of birch plywood of the same thickness. Maplex C (Contour) is a medium-density board, ideal for forming and bending...

August 31st, 2009 | fiber | Read More

Alulight

Alulight aluminum foam was designed to combine attributes such as high stiffness, low weight, and high energy absorption—qualities that enable aluminum foam to qualify for specific requirements within the automotive, aviation, railway, and engine-building industries. Aluminum foam is also suitable...

August 30th, 2009 | feature, metals | Read More

Intaglio Composites

Employing a combination of chemistry, high-tech equipment, concrete expertise, and graphical technology, Intaglio Composites can permanently integrate any high resolution image into the surface of precast concrete. The exposed aggregate of the concrete surface effectively becomes the transferred image;...

August 29th, 2009 | concrete, feature | Read More