Furniture
Extraterrain
Description & Credits
Extraterrain
Extraterrain is conceived as an extension of urban surface into the scale of furniture. It cannot be denominated as an independent typological object or static, occupational territory. Extraterrains did not inherit any prescriptive tradition of use or particular utilization, their momentary usefulness is determined by the real-time event of inhabitation and by the ongoing interaction between users and the terrain.
The topological surface of the Extraterrain produces a space for social, political and economic exchange – both on an individual and collective level. The folded, complex or warped surface does not instill the stability required for static hierarchies to be established and become reified. Subtle or abrupt shifts produce a continued reconfiguration of the space. At any moment in time, it is the totality of the configured space that engenders the status of the object.
In order to optimise the design potential and suspend associations to typology and preconceived ideas, the surface was develop by using the method of sampling. A library of reference forms was assembled from 3D military aircraft models. Through combinatory re-assembly, transformation and extrapolation, a series of topologies were designed and tested against different criteria, including structural strength. The final object was produced by vacuum forming ABS plastics. The vacuum formed ABS surfaces were reinforced by spraying high-density polyurethane on the backside. In the product, the two materials are separated by a film that allows for separation and recycling. Currently the Extraterrains are in one-off production in Finland.
CREDITS
Principal Architects
Kivi Sotamaa & Markus Holmsten
