Hong Kong based designer Edmond Wong has collaborated with Stratasys to produce a visually stunning 3D printed stool, made with both 3D printed components and salvaged bamboo. The partially 3D printed seat, called the ‘B+ stool’, was designed for “Create Outside the Grid”, a Hong Kong exhibition organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC), to showcase engineering and mechanics in bamboo scaffolding.
The majority of the B+ stool was made from salvaged bamboo, collected from around Hong Kong. Though bamboo scaffolding is on the decline, discarded pieces from construction sites are easy to find around the busy metropolis. The bamboo section of Wong and Stratasys’ creation is complemented by extra 3D printed parts, which the designers have termed “buds”, for the seat and feet. The internal wall thickness of the 3D printed buds is similar to that of the bamboo, a feature emphasised by the 3D printed components’ transparency gradation. The uppermost part of the seat bud is completely transparent, with the bud being almost entirely opaque at the lowermost section, which connects to the bamboo legs.
“Bamboo is one of our favorite materials perhaps because it is very ‘Hong Kong’,” Edmond Wong Studios explains. “It’s efficient, versatile and prompt in action. While bamboo is always remembered by its slender appearance, we are intrigued by its internal structure- largely hollow with diaphragm walls at intervals and changing stem wall thickness, resonating the beauty of a high-rise structure, the icon of our city.”
“We are going to reveal the internal beauty of bamboo in our upcoming project “Create Outside the Grid” -an upcycling project organized by HKTDC. With the generous sponsorship of Stratasys, the world’s leading 3D printing solution company, we are able to combine the most advanced technology with bamboo, a material with thousands years of history.”
“Create Outside the Grid” is part of the IDT Expo, organised by HKTDC, which will take place at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre between 3-5 December.
Source: http://www.3ders.org
tridaxis.wordpress.com 