sir john sorrell, chairman of london design festival, invited leaders of london’s cultural institutions to collaborate with some of the world’s most prolific designers to create a ‘legacy’ piece of design – an object of personal or professional relevance to them.
each of the pieces – 10 in total – are beautifully crafted in american red oak, an exciting and sustainable hardwood species that grows abundantly in american forests, and will be fabricated at benchmark furniture in berkshire. nine of the pieces will be presented as a group exhibition at the v&a, after which they will relocate to the homes or institutions of each of the commissioners. the 10th piece, the nest, will be installed at the natural history museum.
“we called upon cultural leaders in london and asked if they would like to contribute to this thought-provoking project,” says sorrell. “we then invited some of the world’s top designers and were delighted when everybody immediately said yes.”
“ahec (american hardwood export council) is always pushing the boundaries for american hardwoods and we wanted to create a project that celebrates the use of red oak to demonstrate not just how beautiful it is for furniture making, but also to test the performance and quality of this abundant wood,” says david venables, european director of ahec. “it’s a fabulous project with incredible designers. we can’t wait to see what emerges from these unique collaborations.”
the 10 commissioners and designers are;
alex beard cbe chief executive, royal opera house, with terence woodgate
amanda nevill cbe ceo, british film institute, with sebastian cox
hans ulrich obrist artistic director, serpentine galleries, with nina tolstrup and jack mama, studiomama
sir ian blatchford director and chief executive, science museum group, with marlène huissoud
iwona blazwick obe director, whitechapel gallery, with yael mer and shay alkalay, raw edges
sir john sorrell cbe chairman, london design festival, with juliet quintero, dallas-pierce-quintero
kwame kwei-armah obe artistic director, young vic, with tomoko azumi
dr maria balshaw cbe director, tate, with max lamb
tamara rojo cbe artistic director, english national ballet, with martino gamper
dr tristram hunt director, v&a, with jasper morrison
supported by american hardwood export council.
tube > south kensington
#LDF19 #LEGACY
waugh thistleton architects and arup have collaborated with the american hardwood export council to create multiply, an interactive modular maze-like installation in the sackler courtyard at the v&a.
the pavilion confronts two of the age’s biggest challenges – the need for housing and the urgency to fight climate change – and presents the fusion of modular systems and sustainable construction materials as a possible solution.
the permeable structure is built from a reusable cross-laminated timber (clt) panel system made of 60cbm of american tulipwood. director andrew waugh says it will show that modular architecture can provide not only efficient solutions but also enjoyable experiences: “the structure will lead people a merry dance up and down staircases and across bridges exploring space and light.” waugh thistleton joins an illustrious list of architects who have collaborated with ahec and arup on landmark projects for ldf. “waugh thistleton has been pioneering innovative uses of wood in construction for decades,” says david venables, ahec’s european director. “multiply explores a new, more sustainable way of building, bringing together a readily available carbon-negative material – american tulipwood – with modular design.”
the project is also a chance to highlight the structural and aesthetic properties of clt, adds carolina bartram, lead project director at arup. “there is increasing topical discourse on the use of clt as a material of choice for commercial and residential development. multiply provides a fabulous opportunity to showcase how advances in timber technology, together with a focus on modularity and efficiency, means we should embrace timber for future developments.”
multiply is carbon neutral: all carbon emissions due to hardwood extraction and processing, together with fabrication and installation of the structure and all transport stages, are offset by the carbon stored in the finished structure and the energy generated by incineration of process wood waste.
designed by waugh thistleton architects, supported by the american hardwood export council and engineered by arup.
with special thanks to: allegheny wood products, baillie lumber co., bingaman lumber inc., boss lumber co, classic american hardwoods, collins hardwood, latham timber, northland forest products, northwest hardwoods, parton lumber and thompson hardwoods inc.
further support from: seam, atrium, construction scotland innovation centre (csic), glenalmond timber and stage one.
waugh thistleton architects & arup: multiply
