BONE FURNITURE
Year: 2006
Claus Mattheck and his research group
Bone Chair, Arm Chair, Chaise
Trees have the ability to add material where strength it is needed, and bones have the ability to take away material where it is not needed. With this knowledge the International Development Centre Adam Opel GmbH, a part of General Motors Engineering Europe created a dynamic digital tool to copy these ways of constructing used for optimizing car parts. In a way it quite precisely copies the way evolution constructs. We didn't use it to create the next worlds most perfect chair, but as a high tech sculpting tool to create elegant shapes with a sort of legitimacy. The bonechair was the first in a series of 7 and the process can be applied to any scale until architectural sizes in any material strength...
Calculation of the Bone Chair
Arm & Bone Chair
Rocker & Branch
The bone furniture series consists out of 7 different pieces in all different materials and finishings. All pieces where made possible with the help of digital fabrication. The Bonechair was developed using a custom developed 3D printed ceramic mould in which the complete chair could be cast in one single piece. The Chaise was developed at the workshop of Vincent de Rijk, who is known for his expertise with resin and his architectural models for Rem Koolhaas. It is cast in a UV resistant clear poly urethan of shore 90. Soft enough to shape itself to your body. The Rocker and Armchair where cast in a home made recipe of marble powder and resin, in a 91 part 3D printed mould assembled with countless little bolts. The Branch is cast in bronze, using a 3d printed polymer positive. The construction of the Bridge is CNC milled from blocks of aluminium and tabletop is made of unscratchable tungsten carbide, which is diamond polished by a robot for over 300 hours.
Making the Rocker
Bridge
Mini Rockers
Zoetrope of Bone Chair optimalisation
