Czech design model Two Hundred Tons has developed a furnishings assortment created from normal metal tubes which are laser-cut and unfolded to create light-weight structural parts.
The Unroll assortment contains a shelving unit, espresso tables and coat hooks, all produced by designers Adam and Monika Štok utilizing deconstructed metal tubes.
The objects are made by slicing slots alongside the size of the pipes, which permits the metallic to be bent into different shapes while retaining its structural integrity.
“We needed to check simply what number of items we might create with the least quantity of fabric,” the designers defined. “One tube, 120 millimetres in diameter, produces a 350 millimetre-wide panel that we then use for your complete facet of a shelving unit.”
The Unroll assortment is a departure from the earlier objects produced by Two Hundred Tons, which comprise metal tubes which were compressed in locations utilizing 200 tonnes of hydraulic stress.
The couple’s first experiments with laser profiling expertise utilised offcuts from a pool desk that Monika created throughout her research on the Academy of Arts, Structure and Design in Prague.
The manufacturing of Unroll makes use of rotary lasers which are capable of rotate and minimize via metallic profiles concurrently. This enables for exact cuts so the metallic can subsequently be folded into the specified form.
The accuracy of the slicing course of and the best way the components align exactly as soon as they’re pressed into place ensures no waste is produced throughout the course of.
Every of the facet panels required for the shelving system was made by slicing a single tube lengthwise and unfolding it to create a sheet with a wave-like corrugated floor.
“It was unimaginable to see how a tube might remodel into such a robust, flat panel,” mentioned the designers, who used comparable methods to create the coat racks and occasional tables.
The wall-mounted coat racks are made by slicing and bending shorter lengths of pipe, whereas the legs for the espresso tables are every constructed by unfolding half of a 30-centimetre tube.
Sustainability was a key concern when growing the merchandise, which require only one operation on a single machine to generate their flattened types. The method produces no waste and the items might be flat-packed to make sure environment friendly transportation.
The metallic is completed with a sturdy powder lacquer to make sure long-term resistance to rust and put on. This easy course of mixed with the usage of normal metallic profiles contributes to the affordability of the merchandise.
Adam and Monika Štok based their Prague-based studio in 2020 with the purpose of growing high-quality, authentic merchandise that utilise experimental applied sciences.
The couple specialises in creating metallic furnishings utilizing processes that discover the fabric’s distinctive properties. The merchandise mix technological processes with hand craftsmanship and ending to reinforce their performance and longevity.
“What attracts us to metallic are its improbable, usually missed qualities,” the designers instructed Dezeen. “It is sturdy, recyclable, and due to this fact sustainable. Moreover, in the event you make a improper minimize, it may be seamlessly welded or repaired, which is a high quality many supplies lack.”
“Combining sturdiness with high-quality craftsmanship, we will create distinctive merchandise designed to final generations,” they added. “We’re dedicated to creating our merchandise fulfil their operate for so long as doable, whether or not it is a chair or a ping-pong desk.”
The Unroll assortment launched throughout the Designblok competition held in Prague from 2-6 October 2024. The gathering was named Greatest Product Launched by a Designer on the occasion’s awards ceremony.
Different current furnishings designs that utilise metallic embrace a stable aluminium bench with seating plates that transfer on a airplane of metal bearing balls and a cone-shaped metal stool held up by pointed legs.
The images is by Ondrej Holub.