This evening the incredibly salient crux of the frustration that drove this years’ topic was addressed indirectly. We had three excellent workshops represented in tonights’ panelists with Peter David Studio, Gulassa Studio, and the UW Lamborghini Carbon Fiber lab. Peter gave a fantastic overview of his self-taught track through becoming one of the most fantastic architectural glass masters in the region displaying beautifully extravagant visions executed in hundreds of devised and deviant glass textures, colors, and mixes.
Jules and Chris from Gulassa and Co. displayed a fantastic foray into multiple mediums of fabrication, customization, design, and their incredible workshop setting – these two were people that had devised their own roles in crafting materials. All of the panelists either had a self-taught or academic background, bringing up a rather interesting disconnection with the whole idea of a crafstman- perhaps that argument is archaic and we can move on to new frustrations in this dialog.
Finishing, Paolo Feraboli displayed a polished track through his research and Lamborghini’s application of carbon fiber – a relatively young composite of carbon threads and a form of joining polymer or glue. This material is capable of incredible strength, production times, and most importantly ultra light weight. The application has been to strategically devise pieces of the famed automobile in order to cut carbon emissions, and more importantly make the vehicle as light as possible. This work culminated in what you see below – an incredibly crafted and materially progressive luxury vehicle the sixth element – a new Lamborghini composed of primarily carbon fiber shell structure and detailing. This was unveiled at last years’ Paris Auto Show.
The discussion following was amazing. Paolo did not see a future for carbon fiber parallel to the future taken by plywood, and carbon steel, materials we saw born for industrial purposes but now being freely manipulated for aesthetic and expressive aims. He made a crucial point in saying using the material to do what other materials had done before was an entire mistake on the makers’ behalf and went on to explain the disconnect between the inefficiencies of the material and what happens when it is used as a steel structural element in construction and design. The material was created to do its’ job he stated. This type of thinking was met by comments from Rob Corser, the moderator, as well as the other artisans as perhaps limited. We all hoped that, like most other industrial materials we have progressed, hybridized composited, and designed with, carbon fiber will see its’ own monetary value go down and allow it to enter the more common markets and not just the aerospace and high-end automotive industry.
The divorce from these types of industry and our local architecture and craft create an interesting paradigm. Could our regions’ powerful ingenuity that is so localized in the Seattle area re-inject our architecture and cities with a more experimental form of developing and thriving within our landscape. Can carbon fiber sciences and its’ extreme resistance to corrosion, light weight, and fast production time lend it to become a building element, or a crucial detail for enclosure?
- Daniel Toole, Assoc. AIA
