Perplex | what to do when a new material lands on your desk?
Every designer is intrigued by the potential of being able to do something they’ve never been able to before. New materials and new processes can often hold the promise of that potential. They can also be solutions in search of problems, which, as compelling as this can be, can be dangerous, leading to what can be called ‘shoehorning’ — forcing something that really has no business being forced.
So what can you do? Well an opportunity like this came our way a number of years ago, and what follows here is how it went, and what we learned.
The material in question here, GRIPMetal, is essentially a consistently shaped field of hooks formed onto ultra-thin gauge metal surfaces. Like a metallic Velcro, it can be pressed, moulded, or cast to create a bond between 2 dissimilar materials that is mechanical and continuous, strengthening hundreds of times per inch.
This enables new composite materials, and compositions that are not glued together, but in the right configuration create tremendous physical properties.
The material and what it can enable can reduce the energy required in product systems: reducing the weight of products that results in more efficient construction and transport, and the lack of adhesives makes it easier to separate and recycle materials at the end of a product’s life-cycle.
Pretty compelling stuff, so what to do with it?
This called for a unique process. And it took a while to get it right. It was difficult to define as the potential it has is vast and as such, not very specific. Interestingly, in order to try and help this, the client had hired us to focus on furniture applications of material. They hired others for other application potentials.
In order to avoid shoehorning, we instead began looking for things we’re wanted to do and not been able to. As furniture designers we’re always dabbling in the alchemy of trying to make things impossibly long and impossibly thin — whether tables, or shelves or credenzas, chairs or benches…really anything that needs to be structural and can be thinner. This was a problem looking for a solution, so we set about an exploration.
I’m not certain what is it that drives designers to defy the laws of physics. It might be hubris, or ego, or maybe simply a desire to delight. In a world where it’s becoming increasingly difficult to find the novel solution to an age old problem opportunities like this hold a lot of potential.
Tables, benches, chairs, privacy screens all held the potential to be thinner, larger and stronger, so we began here looking at what can be done now, and what could benefit from being pushed further. There were not simply visual opportunities here. Table tops that were stiffer required fewer legs and achieved longer spans which uses less material and could be less costly to make. They might also weigh less offering improvements not only in installation and carrying large table tops to top floors in buildings, but in shipping costs and complexity.
Also in being mechanically affixed and stronger, elements can be hollow facilitating the burying of things, like power and structure, within the component itself.
These were some of the avenues we explored. Once we identified what we’d like to do GRIPMetal set about creating vignettes to explore the feasibility of the approach. 2 years of exploration involving many prototypes, led to the discovery of a variety of things. Many failures, but more learnings and as these experiments got more and more focused, we arrived at a collection of furniture pieces that showcase new ways of using this material to acheive things that haven’t been possible in the past.
The Perplex table is a small, standing height cafe or meeting table with integrated wireless charging.
Tables for working environments are constantly struggling to seamlessly incorporate power. The use of GripMetal enabled the creation of legs that are hollow to allow for cables to pass through powering a wireless charging tray for phones.
The top is cast concrete with a GripMetal reinforced core.
The Perplex Stool is a symmetrical stacking stool for use both indoors and outdoors.
Stools are simple seating devices and hold the potential to be sculptural while remaining highly functional. The centre of this stacking stool is the very thin composite seat of aluminum and polyethylene making it ideal for outdoor use among other applications.
The form evolved through an interest in expressing the strength of the seat by cantilevering it as far as possible. In response to a trend toward flexible seating devices in the office, this stool is also symmetrical and flexible in use.
The Perplex Bench is a very long, monolithic bench.
A bench is a piece of furniture intended for people to stop a while, to sit on and to gather. We have always been compelled to create as long a bench as we can — people like space between strangers, and if not strangers then why not get everyone on one bench?
Our experiments with GripMetal revealed a methodology for making a concrete beam that is incredibly strong and incredibly thin. This methodology enabled this bench.
The bench is cast in ductal, a high performance concrete with a beautiful surface finish. The singular element is supported with 2 cast aluminum legs available either painted or polished.
Every once in a while an opportunity to shape new product potentials comes along and the prospect of doing something completely new is particularly compelling — we look forward the opportunity of doing it again.
