Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
University of Derby
Invention of Prototyping Methodology and Architectural installation
100 x 11 tonne panels
Contractors: Arup; Trent Concrete Ltd.
Caruso St John Architects won the commission for the £20m Nottingham Contemporary Arts Centre. Their facia design specified the use of a Victorian lace pattern, at an enlargement of 1000%, to be embossed in seamless vertical pattern repeat into concrete panels around the building. Initially, a bobbin lace expert had been engaged to replicate the real - if oversized - lace for the pattern.
However, it became evident that this approach would be problematic, as silicone poured on the ‘positive’ textile master would become trapped below the ‘equator’ of the round profile yarns used, preventing release of the ‘negative’ form-liner. The University research team posited a digital method of fabricating solely the upper relief surface of the desired lace master. This idea was exhaustively researched and a system developed to output a high-definition mould without undercut regions.
Intense experimentation had been undertaken with a cocktail of software applications, digital prototyping devices & a diverse range of materials to arrive at an innovative lasering method. The research was underpinned by a research legacy of ‘desk-top manufacturing’ methodology that had been sustained through decades of advanced CAD/CAM implementation in innovative prototyping for manufacture. Bespoke methods were concocted to faithfully translate digital imaging expertise, applied and constructed textile repeat systems and the ‘rules’ of machine wrought Valenciennes Lace into a workable low relief mould.
The University of Derby and local industrial partners Trent Concrete were honoured in 2009 as shortlist winners in the Lord Stafford Awards for Innovation Achieved. The building has attained an international reputation for the unique, ground-breaking character of its concrete façade. It is a visitor and tourist feature of Nottingham as a building of local prominence as well as contributing to Industrial knowledge and practice.
