Strand Tower
Location: Gold Coast, Australia
Date: 2014
Materials: HDPE
Tools: Grasshopper, CNC Router, Pop-Rivets
Description: This project prototype explores the capacity of lightweight tubular structures to create an immersive experience for a lighting festival. Due to the short duration of the festival, the structure needs to be both lightweight as well as quickly deployable. Each tube is made from three planar pieces of CNC-cut HDPE. These parts are riveted together causing the planar material to slightly bend which also results in local stiffening of the material. Globally, each tube is twisting along its central axis which also adds a general rigidity to the tube.
In order to create an experience for the festival visitors that is engaging, playful, and innovative, the tubes transition from a bundled network at the top to individual strands at the base that allow visitors to walk between. A LED light strand is positioned at the centre of each tube and reacts to visitors’ movement as well as ambient conditions such as wind. This network of strands resonates with the complexity of local mangrove forests and provides a space for interaction, exploration, and play.
Credits: Andrew Kudless, Jonathan Nelson, and Chris Knapp (Design), Stephanie Stockwell, Rhett Cowen, Mosaab Alsharif (Prototyping)