A couple of months back, we featured the work of some progressive Australian architects under the framework of Frank Gehry's first project on the island continent. Now we're taking a look at the aesthetic hallmarks so evident in the work of Gehry Partners, specifically the firm's expansive design adventures beyond the world of architecture.
After the break, more benches designed in a similar vein. Does all this manipulated wood mimic or inform the Gehry Partners Tokyo Bench?
Matthias Pliessnig, Spill
Bae Sehwa also uses steamed wood to create versatile seating constructs. Both his Steam 11 and Steam 12 projects showcase a break from the norm in regard to chair design:
Bae Sehwa, Steam 12 chair
Bae Sehwa, Steam 11 chair
Urban Adaptor, a project by Rocker-Lange Architects, is a prototype design piece for new outdoor furniture in Hong Kong. Designed for the 2009 HK-SHZ Biennale, the formal language of the design is based off the various public furniture pieces that dot Hong Kong's cityscape. The bench combines multiple functional objects from around the city and merges them into one design.
Urban Adaptor by Rocker-Lange Architects
Designer Yuya Ushida has created an expanding chair out of chopsticks cleverly titled SOFA_XXXX. The titles four X's could either reference the shape of its complex weaving structure or the four lengths of chopsticks used to develop the pattern.
In 2005, Office dA designed a waterfall-like double bench system titled at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The wood slats reference a common design theme in Office dA's oevre: lasercut plywood panels in an undulating pattern, as seen in the office design for BANQ.
Last but not least is Pablo Reinoso's spaghetti bench, which combines the utilitarian function of a traditional bench with whimsical bent wood artwork:
And one more look at the Gehry Partners bench that started it all:
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