USA Projects

The work of my studio, Zago Architecture, explores novel areas of form and geometry. This exploration- which as often results in design objects and art-like sculptures as it does in buildings- has always emphasized the physical production of studies, prototypes and models as a means of developing creative work. 

We have increasingly been looking to irregular, accidental and comical arrangements as impetus for our work. By design, these are categories of form and geometry that are not easily generated by three-dimensional modeling software. Intended as a challenge to purely digital form-making, they instead rely on the careful study and measurement of analog  (real physical) conditions which are then translated into and transformed within a digital environment. While formally successful, these resultant geometries and forms (doubly-curved sculptural surfaces or constantly varying lines, for example) prove difficult or impossible to prototype with conventional shop and modeling tools. 

Currently, we must outsource the physical production of our work to specialized shops. Given the need for iterations and refinement in the development of successful projects, this outsourcing becomes prohibitively expensive and, more importantly, removes us from a direct, tactile engagement with the development of the work. 

To be able to pursue these new creative avenues without compromise, we need equipment that allows us to work seamlessly from the real to the virtual to the real again. That is, to capture the form of complex, three dimensional arrangements and objects, to manipulate and transform them through software, and to produce iterations of these transformation in real materials. 

Until recently these tools- 3-D scanners and multi-axis computer-controlled mills- have been large, complex machines out of practical range for small, creative studios. However, there are now manufacturers producing categories of these tools that employ much of the same technology used in high-end, industrial equipment but on a simpler and smaller scale. These tools, listed below, are ideal for the scale and complexity of our current work. Not only would they allow the studio to undertake extensive physical testing and prototyping, they can also be used, in some cases, to manufacture finished products.   

The Technique: Rock Candy lamps 

As illustrated in the accompanying video, we have begun design work on a series of lamps – ranging in scale from a table lamp to a chandelier – based on the sugar crystal growth of rock candy. Importantly, they are not idealized versions of that crystalline geometry but rather are based on the irregularities and imperfections of an actual specimen. 

A 3-D scanner will give us a tool to create rapid and highly detailed digital models of these crystals. The scanner software will convert this data into formats that are readily imported into standard software modeling programs such as Rhinoceros and Maya. In that environment, the crystal faces are converted into thick plates to be cut from blocks of clear acrylic. Each lamp has dozens of faces resulting in hundreds of chamfered edges, each with a unique angle. The 4-axis mill will cut and finish each face making it ready for assembly. We intend to design, prototype and produce the finished lamps in our studio. Additionally, this technique will allow us to make variations from lamp to lamp creating a suite of similar, but unique designs.   

The Tools: mill, scanner and software 

My funding request has three tiers. The first is for $20,000 for a Tormach 770 4-axis mill, configured for a start-up shop. Funds raised in excess of the cost of the mill go towards the $5,800 purchase of a NextEngine 3-D scanner with HD-Pro software, extended warranty and tech support. The final $2,700 in funds goes toward the purchase of enhanced CAD software and a Multidrive automatic turntable for the scanner. 

Level 1:  $20,000.00

Tormach PCNC 1100 - 3 Axis converted to 4 Axis CNC Machine, fully configured for a start-up shop

Level 2:  $5,800.00

NextEngine 3-D Scanner, ScanStudio HD PRO Software, ScanStudio Pro Care, 3 year Warranty

Level 3:  $2,700.00

NextEngine Multidrive and CAD Tools

Level 4:

Additional funds raised go towards the purchase of materials (acrylic)