As we navigate the contours of large-format additive manufacturing, we are increasingly exploring the various applications various technologies can enable. One service provider that never disappoints us is Dimensional Innovations, the company behind the large sculpture that highlights Missouri River’s footprint in KANSAS and the massive 3D printed torch of Las Vegas stadium. Recently as part of a project conducted in collaboration with architecture and design firm Perkins&Will, the company gave life to 20 3D printed benches which give visitors to the Crystal Court – Minneapolis’ iconic indoor public space – a comfortable place to rest. To deliver such elegant and ergonomic furniture, the team relied on Thermwood’s Large Scale Additive Manufacturing.
“We wanted to respect the original intent of the design, which created an indoor park atmosphere,” said Deb Kolar, General Manager of the IDS Center for Accesso and a key member of the team that orchestrated the renovation. “Our aim was to keep familiar elements that visitors to the Crystal Court have enjoyed for years. That’s why water, real trees, and seating remained the pillars of the project.”
Before these benches, the Crystal Court hosted stark white park benches that were relics from a ‘90s-era renovation. The new furniture aim to provide a cohesive look to the modernized environment, so do not need to look alike. According to Kolar, the ultimate goal remained to keep familiar elements that visitors to the Crystal Court have enjoyed for years.
AM was the ideal manufacturing method to produce a bespoke, lightweight and sturdy solution. Thermwood’s LSAM has already been used in many ways, but architecture has the unique capability to magnify its beauty and what it can do. While further details were not given on the material used for the project, Perkins&Will said it was a nontoxic material.
The benches contribute to a distinctive sense of place in the remodeled Crystal Court. “It feels great to see people using the custom printed furniture so frequently, and in so many different ways,” Jeremiah Collatz, Designer at Perkins&Will says. “I often catch a moment of respite or meet up with a colleague in the tree grove on the way to and from work.” Collatz confirms, too, that the benches do indeed look like pebbles when viewed from above.
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