Formful Wood. Explorative Furniture

A TEACHING PROJECT TRANSCENDS DISCIPLINES
This complex of topics forms the basis of our design workshop. In spring 2018, the
Object Design department at Lucerne University of Applied Sciences and Arts
and the Chair of Structural Design at ETH Zurich’s Department of Architecture
launched a joint course that was taught to 28 students from both universities with
the goal of designing and building seating objects made of plywood, as a collaborative
effort. We received support from Artek, our industry partner, whose name
combines the words art und technology, and who still employs the same, delicate
handcrafted manufacturing processes that became the hallmark of their furniture.
Artek’s so-called L-leg, a narrow curved chair leg, also dubbed the “little sister of
the architectural column” by co-founder Alvar Aalto, is a typical example of these
processes and became a launching pad for the design project. It is made using a
combination of steam bending and molded plywood, whereby irregular cuts are
sawn into the end of a piece of wood which was then bent and glued together
with another piece using veneer strips. Three legs of this nature are subsequently
mounted to the seat by the user himself. The uniqueness of this type of furniture
turned it into a cult object. The intricate process could only be assembled through
extensive testing in the workshop. Artek thus combines the curiosity and experimentation
of design with craftsmanship and industrial practices. This philosophy
makes Artek an ideal partner for our design workshop. Object design and architecture,
craftsmanship and industry—crossing the boundaries of individual disciplines
and schools of thought was a central goal pursued by the workshop and gave rise
to a interdisciplinary research and work process among students and supervisors.
The workshop started off with participants getting to know each other, as
well as the industrial and craft work processes and materials. The head of Artek’s
manufacturing operations in Turku, Finland, explained typical manufacturing methods
via video conference. It was impressive how much these processes resembled
time-honored manufacturing methods—a continuity that was also reflected
in remarkably consistent products. This marked an important starting point for the
students: processes were experimented with and used as springboards for new
functions and forms. A visit to a veneer factory also made a significant impression
on the students. There, they were able to observe how thin veneers were cut from
a tree trunk and underwent further processing. Those two encounters, Artek’s
L-leg and the flat veneers in the factory, opened wide the range of experimental
approaches presented by the designs. Once the students had received a detailed
introduction to manufacturing techniques and tools in the workshop, they settled
down and began to work on their projects.
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