Transmaterial » product

Softwall LED

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 30 Jul 2010 14:00:14 +0000

Softwall + Softblock is a modular, space-shaping system of expandable/compressible honeycomb seating, partitions, and lighting conceived from the desire for flexible, spontaneous spacemaking. Opening a Softwall + Softblock element is a captivating tactile experience, as the honeycomb unfolds to create a completely freestanding structure that is hundreds of times larger than its compressed form. Softwall + Softblock forms can be resized and rearranged into almost any shape.

Softwall LED, a luminous version of Softwall + Softblock, is an integrated lighting system as flexible as its counterpart, with LED ribbons of light adjusting to changes in the wall’s length and movement. Softwall LED has a soft, even glow that emphasizes the visual delicacy of the translucent textile fibers and visually enhances the expansion, contraction, and fluid movement of these completely flexible, freestanding partitions. Softwall + Softblock elements of various heights, materials, and colors all connect to one another simply and seamlessly with concealed magnets to create continuous lengths.

Contact: Molo Design, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
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Media Cubes

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 23 Jul 2010 17:00:40 +0000

Media Cubes invite tangible interaction to control media. Unlike conventional remote devices, this system consists of two cubes made out of wood. The system can track the orientation and rotation of the objects in order to relay particular commands. The user controls a particular function by orienting its symbol up, then rotating the cube to adjust the function—such as changing the volume level or scrolling through a song list.

The technology inside the cube is fairly simple. Gyroscopic and accelerometer sensors detect movement with a high level of accuracy. The signal is then sent via radio technology the same way a wireless mouse works. The cubes are charged with contactless induction technology, and there is no need for a power input. In this way, the Media Cubes demonstrate the unexpected integration of technological controls with a more intuitive, tactile interface.

Contact: Mattias Andersson, Johanneshov, Sweden.
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Sensitive Apertures

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 09 Jul 2010 14:00:25 +0000

Sensitive Apertures is a modular slip-cast ceramic building skin designed to admit a small quantity of light through a refractive glass aperture. This opening redirects sunlight onto the inside surface of the cell, projecting an even luminous glow to the interior space. The 1% open apertures admit levels of light desired for interior circulation zones as well as insulate a building from solar heat gain and loss.

Contact: Ben McDonald, Culver City, CA.
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Flowerfall

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 14:00:19 +0000

Michelle Brand designed Flowerfall specifically to address our ever-growing amount of plastic thrown away each year. Flowerfall is an eco-contemporary “curtain” made of the bases of discarded PET bottles and articulated tagger ties, the plastic ties typically used to connect a price tag to an item. In her construction of the soft screens, Brand pays great attention to minimizing processing, and uses no melting, reforming, or molds in her handmade fabrication process. Flowerfall celebrates both form and function in sculptural installations that are decorative without being overly fussy. The material has an unexpected softening quality that can counter hard surfaces or spaces, and its translucent properties harness and filter light in dramatic ways.

Contact: Michelle Brand, UK.
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Liminal Air

Blaine Brownell — Sat, 08 May 2010 14:00:10 +0000

Inspired by a cave visited at the foot of Mount Fuji, Shinji Ohmaki constructed an installation designed to render visible the air we cannot see and the sounds we cannot hear. Liminal Air is composed of 123,000 nylon strings suspended in varying lengths in such a way that they collectively create a kind of cloud-like, inverted topography. Viewable from both the interior and exterior, Liminal Air is intended to convey to visitors the feeling of plunging into a wave of light.

Contact: Tokyo Gallery＋BTAP, Tokyo, Japan.
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BAMbOO

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 23 Apr 2010 14:00:07 +0000

BAMbOO panels are made by casting bamboo sections in translucent resins. The diagonally-cut bamboo sections may be open or filled with a different color resin for a dramatic spatial effect. By changing the amount, size, or direction of bamboo ovals, the acoustic performance of the panels changes as well as their look and feel. The simple production technique allows the panels to be customized easily based on aesthetic and functional requirements.

Designers Yvonne Laurysen and Erik Mantel developed BAMbOO for the project ‘Design Interventions for Stimulating Bamboo Commercialization’ by Pablo van der Lught.

Contact: LAMA Concept, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
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Flip

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 14:00:01 +0000

The Flip light is a fun and tactile new luminaire that changes color when it rotates. With no cords to tie it down, this soft rubber sphere is made for the hands as well as the desk. An equilibrium sensor invented by NONdesigns enables every movement of the fixture to be reflected chromatically in its glow. Playing with a Flip light enables the user to find any color in the spectrum of visible light by simply rolling it, tossing it and spinning it, creating animations of light that respond to the interactions taking place.

Contact: NONdesigns, LLC, Los Angeles, CA.
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Apex Mesh

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:00:56 +0000

Amico’s APEX expanded metal mesh offers many benefits such as texture, passage of light, air movement, reduction of solar gain, high strength-to-weight ratio and a variety of manufacturing material options. Carbon steel, galvanized steel, aluminum and stainless steel are commonly used to make expanded mesh, and Amico can also expand alloys such as brass, copper, Cor-ten, and titanium.

One of the most striking aspects of expanded mesh is the small amount of raw material required to produce a large amount of product. The expanding method is a slitting and stretching process, which creates a product that is stronger and lighter than its original form and that will not unravel. Amico engineers can custom engineer new mesh designs based on functional requirements.

Contact: Amico, Burlington, ON, Canada.
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Parabienta

Blaine Brownell — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 15:00:53 +0000

Parabienta is a vertical greening system for buildings developed by Japan-based Shimizu Corporation. Composed of units that incorporate Excelsoil solidified soil base in stainless steel wire frames, a lush green wall may be achieved quickly with the installation of the system. Parabienta has been shown to reduce solar heat gain on facades, thus reducing building energy costs. The system mitigates noise transfer as well, especially in the high frequency range.

Parabienta vertical greening units can be arranged to make various designs. Different kinds of plants can be utilized for different colors and textures as well as different performance criteria. In addition, units may easily be relocated or replaced when design or maintenance needs dictate.

Contact: Shimizu Corporation, Tokyo, Japan.
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Living Surfaces

Blaine Brownell — Thu, 07 Jan 2010 15:00:54 +0000

With the aim of developing interactive environments, Gianfranco Barban and Gregg Brodarick of B.lab have created a series of tabletop surfaces and floor tiles, which are made of layers of plastic sheets encapsulating nontoxic liquids. These liquids move and bubble in various ways based on touch, depicting constantly changing patterns.

The bichromatic floor tiles generate colorful forms in continuous evolution, so walking on the tiles leaves a trail of footprints. These tiles are comprised of two shock resistant layers of PVC, and the upper layer is treated with a nonslip surface. Welded together, the layers create a rigid tile.

Contact: B.lab Italia, Gallarate, Italy.
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