LUX TABLE
2004.
Carbon fibre, various sizes.
TECHNOLOGY AND LIGHTNESS
Carbon fibre manufactured furniture has in the past been largely unmarketable due to its high material cost, labour-intensive manufacturing methods and aesthetics and construction methods drawn from the aerospace industries. The existing carbon fibre furniture utilised high specification carbon fibre for low-tech functions. The aim of this project was to use a lower specification carbon, whilst still achieving a high strength-to-weight ratio, thus maximising the properties of composite and carbon fibre, to achieve results not possible in other materials. The vision was to create furniture of superior longevity, lightness and manoeuvrability. The project was completed in collaboration with Glen Oldfield of Composite Components.
Rather than using forms (such as ribs, triangulation or curves) to strengthen a material, the project explored methods of manufacturing a thin flat panel to span a distance with a significantly high-strength to a low-weight product. The result was a marketable, cost-effective and strong product, by using a lower specification carbon fibre in a construction that was strong in all directions through a multilateral layering of uni-directional carbon. As a result, it was sold nationally and internationally.
The product won an Australian Design Award for Furniture Design and an Award of Merit from the WA Chapter of the Design Institute of Australia. It is cited in Manufacturing Processes for Design Professionals by Rob Thompson (Thames and Hudson) as an exemplar of design utilising composite materials. It fulfils a market gap while testing the production and structural capabilities of composite manufacturing. The product was manufactured in Australia and in Sweden for European distribution. Also exhibited at the Milan Furniture Fair in 2004 and 100% Design, London in 2007.
Manufacturer: Composite Components
Exhibited at ''Salone Satellite, 2004 (solo show) and 2006 (group show of WA artists) Milan International Furniture Fair, Italy.