Organized chaos

The brief for this custom one-off design intended for a private residence hallway was to do something monumental that is defined by the conflict of order and chaos in one object. While still being functional. While being possibly out of metal. I designed the bench to be a functional sculpture that features a regular perforation pattern on its surface but whose overall form is sculpted by hand using traditional blacksmith techniques.

A freeform star

This perforation pattern was my most enjoyable discovery during the design process. It is not an aesthetic choice, it is a constructional choice. Once the ratio of openings and connections is right this pattern allows a surface to take on any shape without crumpling. Technically you can hammer this perforated steel sheet onto a sphere with ease. It has so much inner compression and expansion that it adopts flawlessly. I discovered it in Berlin’s legendary Modulor shop and subsequently in the model work of Konstantin Grcic for his Myto chair project. At the time I did not think much of it but hands-on it became an essential tool for this design.

Project info