Statera is a collaborative project between HKS LINE, SpaceCraft and Cambium that explores regenerative design through computational design, advanced manufacturing and sustainable supply chain. This project investigates design and fabrication of non-conventional large span spatial structures using 3D Graphic Statics in the form of a coffee table.
Structural Form Finding
The structure consists of two main parts that work in tandem. The tabletop is designed as a cable truss system and acts as a bridge pulling the three corners together while the wooden body of the table is a funicular form primarily under compressive axial forces that carries the load to the ground.
Graphic Statics is a structural form finding method based on reciprocal geometric relationships between the form and the force. This method enables us to design complex funicular structures with primarily axial forces under the designed applied loads. Which ultimately results in an efficient form. Depending on the complexity of these forms, they require an advance geometric and mathematical workflow for design manipulation. For this purpose, we have developed a series of algorithms using topological and geometric properties of the form and force diagrams.
Fabrication
Moving from digital world to reality, the complexity and spatial nature of this design needed a great level of sophistication in manufacturing process. After a series of coordination calls between HKS LINE and SpaceCraft, SpaceCraft hosted a fabrication charrette week at their facility in Long Island, NY. During that week the two teams worked closely on finalizing materials and details as well as testing fabrication methods including CNC using 7 axis robotic arm, large scale metal laser cutting as well as and large-scale resin and FGF 3d printing. With learnings from those experiences, the fabrication continued and finished at SpaceCraft Tijuana, Mexico facility.
Another important aspect of this project is its focus on sustainable supply chain. Due to waste in subtractive manufacturing, it was important to us to source our material from reclaimed or salvaged material. Cambium, a company who specializes in sustainable supply chain donated the wood from urban fallen trees that where destined to become landfill. The tabletop also reuses scrap glass.
