Our competition submission for the 2013 Design By Nature exposition is a collection of four concrete composite cubes (measuring 2.5 cubic feet each) that have industrial volumes ‘subtracted’ from 3 or more of their 6 surfaces. The durable cubes can be oriented together or separately in a variety of configurations. Each cube will contain a recycled foam core, which reduces their weight considerably compared to solid concrete masses of similar size. This makes the pieces suitable for both indoor and outdoor uses to include: low + high seating, side tables, coffee tables and sculpture.

OUR INTEREST

Industrial, cast metal pump casings often start out in the wood shop.  Millworkers + machine operators carve solid, laminated wood blocks to create ‘patterns’ that are used to make sand-moulds. The sand-moulds are then used for casting.  It is common for companies to make one-off castings, which means that the patterns go to waste after their first use.

Our design team was exposed to an overwhelming number of decommissioned patterns this year. They are beautifully crafted relics of Canadian manufacturing.  We approached Tim Sheppard, a local pattern maker with our idea for a Design By Nature proposal. He graciously agreed to donate a retired pattern component called a ‘core box’ that meets our size specifications perfectly.

 OUR PROCESS ( See corresponding diagrams below)

A - Section the ‘core box’ into quarters and form the sides of each quarter using off- cut lumber

B- Suspend recycled pieces of dense foam insulation inside the formed quarters + pour fiber-based ECC (Engineered Cementitious Composite) into the core boxes

C- Extract the new cast volumes, polish and seal them. Compose them based on desired use.

SUSTAINABILITY

Our process uses exclusively recycled material except for the outer cementitious skin + sealer. Virgin material use will be limited to 20% or less in this project.

Our first chair is in the making. This design is a commissioned collaboration between our studio and local Toronto designer Arash Sadr. We are very thankful to our client, Afrothite who gave us the opportunity to develop this concept. She will own the first limited-series constructed from solid walnut and clear coated, cold-rolled steel. The images below of our preliminary birch prototype show the general construction and proportions of the chair – however, they do not yet include the finer details that we are most enthusiastic about – such as a curvilinear seat profile, a series of rectangular wood dowel inlays and the introduction of a 2-3mm technical  felt seat and back. So, stay tuned for the next version.

We intend to experiment with slight variations in the existing design, materials and finish on a per project basis. Please email us at info@stacklab.ca for information about our custom design + build services or to place an order.

Our good friend Isabelle, owner of the local high-end jewelry/accessories store Rue Pigalle, has encouraged us to develop a series of necklace displays. Over the next while, we are going test these products by making a limited series of the schematic representations below. These busts will be made using fully integrated digital design and fabrication techniques. After experimenting with a number of materials we have chosen a massive timber product- similar to CLT – however, made up entirely of laminated Canadian maple. The finish will be a VOC free, hand rubbed, polymerized tung oil.

For information about pricing or to place an order, please email us at info@stacklab.ca

Walnut 2 is a proposal for a private commission in New York City.

The  10′-1″ table top will be made from two mirrored walnut slabs cut from the same fallen tree. They will be flattened to a 1 3/4″ thickness and bookmatched.  The legs are a slightly modified version of our Wishbone Leg prototype. For this project, we will be casting the leg in bronze and increasing it’s overall size to accommodate the larger table top.

Please email us at info@stacklab.ca for information about our custom design + build services

The summer was a very exciting time for us because we had the chance to work with three very talented people on a great project called Richmond Station. Richmond Station is the restaurant that Carl Heinrich (Canada’s Top Chef 2012) is opening this October in downtown Toronto with his longtime friend and business partner Ryan Donovan. The design of the space is a collaboration between ourselves, Jonathan Enns (ennsdesign, Solid Operations), Ryan and Carl. It will be a simple + utilitarian restaurant: built so that two cooks at the top of their game can do what they do best. Below, you can see a combination of progress photos, schematic design concepts and working drawings for the project. Stay tuned for images of the completed space, and for information about some of the specifics that we like the most.

Please email us at info@stacklab.ca for information about our interior design services.

The Bloom Centre for Sustainability  is a unique organization who “brings together public and private sector interests to drive change, and implement sustainability initiatives that deliver economic, environmental and social benefit.”  We like Bloom because they view sustainability differently than the majority of their peers. They approach their work through the pragmatic lense of “best use, best return.”  We see them as believable agents of change and we are honoured that they commissioned us to design and build their new Sustainability Leadership Award. Our final schematic proposal (first 2 images) is shown below with a sample graphic of a digitized growth field (3rd image). Each award will have a portion of its own unique ‘field’ etched on two of its surfaces. Each field is achieved by photographing a small off-cut piece of heartwood; translating the grain pattern into pixels; and then ‘growing’ those pixels with a parametric script.  This design represents the integration of sustainability as a process of optimization, growth and change. It shows how the simplest idea can be totally re-imagined and still maintain its core values and intent. Please stay tuned over the next few weeks as we discuss the project design in more detail and prep for fabrication.

Please email us at info@stacklab.ca for information about our custom design + build services

Currently, we are in the process of prototyping a cast aluminum leg for our retail portfolio. The wishbone shape shown below starts with an inset crotch arch and then curves and tapers downwards in two directions. This week, with the help of our collaborator Styropatterns Inc., we will CNC mill a positive and negative mold pattern for each leg. Once we have the patterns milled, we will take them to a foundry where the metal workers will cast the shape for us. Stay tuned for updates on this project and please feel free to contact us at info@stacklab.ca with questions or comments.

*The schematic diagrams below are representational

A client recently commissioned us to design and build a kitchen banquette in their new home in the Toronto Bluffs. Our proposal pairs an oblong plywood table and bench with two geometric steel structures. The table base is a hyperboloid comprised of the smallest possible spindles for the load. The bench structure can be thought of as an arch on its side – made up of narrow, skeletal voussoirs. Stay tuned for updates on this project and please feel free to contact us at info@stacklab.ca with questions or comments.

*The schematic diagrams below are representational

We are currently working in collaboration with Strathcona Construction to design and build a custom entry door for a contemporary home in the woodlands of the Forks of the Credit. The idea for the door is that of a vault in the forest – a mechanical system of gears and pins that opens the luxurious interior to the surrounding landscape. The working components – made mostly of bronze, stainless steel and titanium – are encased in thermal glass and steel. The  7.5′ x 3.5′ x 8″ door has internal piston damper actuators that make it very easy to open and shut. To unlock it, simply turn the wheel.

*the interior renderings below are representational.

Please visit our blog for project developments and contact us at info@stacklab.ca with questions or comments.

We are currently developing an experimental retail concept with our collaborators Kimiis that places a unique emphasis on the reproduction of a material effect over the reproduction of an artifact (i.e. chair, table etc..).  Kimiis explains that:

“manufacturing material effects is a research based exploration into material characteristics (density, machinability, light transmission, etc.) which are enhanced through fabrication processes, via the development and refinement of technique. Here, subtractive fabrication strategies are conceptually inverted to become additive strategies. Sophisticated CNC tooling protocols layered together uncover an elegant simplicity of form.”

Over the next few months, we will be experimenting with different material effects and how they can be applied to the built environment. For information about our collaborative work with Kimiis, please email us at: info@stacklab.ca

We recently won a commission to design and build a portable oyster display for Neptuno Oysters - a new private event catering company in Toronto.  Our proposal pairs the latest in digital design and fabrication technology with material that dates back a few millennia.

We are working in collaboration with Kimiis to create a computerized ‘script’ that will inform the overall shape of the piece. Programming is useful because it allows us to account for a variety of performances that we wish to achieve. For example, we want to create a surface that is based on natural glaciation patterns,  but that also accounts for the exact number of units that the client intends to display. It will also allow us to determine the slope required for melted ice to drain without pooling on the surface.

Once the design phase is complete we will use a 3-axis CNC machine to mill a working prototype and then the final product for use. Over the next few weeks we will post updates with developments.

*The schematic diagrams below are representational

Contact us at info@stacklab.ca with questions or comments.