Lamellae Multifunctional Shelving by Trevor Ryan Patt Wins the Silver A' Design Award in Generative, Algorithmic, Parametric and AI-Assisted Design

Trevor Ryan Patt acknowledged for generative, algorithmic, parametric and ai-assisted design by the international grand jury of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

COMO, Italy, April 23, 2021 /DesignNewswire/ Lamellae Multifunctional Shelving by Trevor Ryan Patt, designed for Ahtehha, has been granted the Silver A' Design Award in the Generative, Algorithmic, Parametric and AI-Assisted Design category, A' Design Award & Competition has announced. The recognition forms part of the 2020 - 2021 A' Design Award & Competition and was reached through blind peer review by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members, who assessed anonymized entries against predetermined criteria.

The Silver A' Design Award Explained

The Silver A' Design Award celebrates top-tier designs that embody excellence and innovation. This award acknowledges creations that are not only aesthetically pleasing but also highly functional, reflecting the designer's deep understanding and skill. Silver A' Design Award recipients are recognized for their contribution to raising industry standards and advancing the practice of design. Their work often incorporates original innovations and elicits a strong emotional response, making a notable impact on the improvement of everyday life.

Regarding Lamellae Multifunctional Shelving

Lamellae uses a bespoke multi-agent computational model to generate a geometrically complex but refined and conceptually precise shelving system that can be endlessly customized to adapt to existing spaces and the display of unique objects. Although it has an almost baroque sculptural presence, awareness of fabrication and assembly constraints built into the generative design allow it to be realized through various efficiencies: swarf cutting reduces cnc machine time and allows flatpack delivery, assembly sequence is self-supporting, and precise joinery ensures accurate placement and fit..

About Trevor Ryan Patt

Trevor Ryan Patt is a is a designer who researches the potentials of computational design for architecture in small-scale distillations as well as larger urban assemblages. He is chair of the architecture department and assistant professor at the School of Architecture and Design at the American University of Beirut.

Award Record

This recognition makes Trevor Ryan Patt a winner of 1 A' Design Award.

About the A' Generative, Algorithmic, Parametric and AI-Assisted Design Award

The A' Generative Design Award is an international design competition recognizing good generative designs from leading creators and designers worldwide. It is organized within the A' Design Award & Competition and is open to generative designers, algorithmic design professionals, ai-assisted design experts and parametric designers from all countries. Typical entries include algorithmic artworks, parametric architectures, generative graphics, ai-assisted illustrations, computational sculptures and procedural patterns. The awarded generative designs are published at https://desingers.org/design-category/generative

About A' Design Award & Competition

Organized annually since 2008, A' Design Award & Competition is an international, juried design accolade. The competition is open to entries from all countries. The philanthropic mission of the A' Design Award is to advance society through good design, by recognizing and promoting superior products, projects and services that benefit society, and by creating a global awareness and appreciation for good design practices and principles. Nominations are peer reviewed and evaluated anonymously by an international grand jury panel of established academics, design professionals and press members against predetermined criteria such as functionality, ergonomics, engineering, presentation, innovation, usability, sustainability and technology, with score normalization applied to remove biases. Awards are conferred at Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze and Iron levels. Eligible laureates receive the A' Design Prize, which includes the award trophy, the certificate of design excellence, the hardcover yearbook, a lifetime license to use the A' Design Award winner logo, exhibition of awarded works, an invitation to the gala night and award ceremony in Italy, inclusion in the World Design Rankings and Designer Rankings, and public relations and publicity services. Registration, uploading a work and receiving a preliminary score are free of charge, and Professional and Digital Edition laureates are not contractually obliged to pay further fees to claim the A' Design Prize. More information is available at https://competition.adesignaward.com

Press Resources

Winner Page: https://desingers.org/112156
A' Design Award Page: https://competition.adesignaward.com/112156
Media Showcase: https://www.designnewsroom.com/!112156
Laureate Profile: https://desingers.org/d/288471
Further Information from the Laureate: https://bit.ly/3uhYagm

Media Contact

Giulia Ferrari, Press Office
Designers.Org
Via Leone Leoni 32, 22100 Como, Italy
press@designers.org
+39 031 4491953

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Fact Sheet

The Work

Project: Lamellae Multifunctional Shelving
Function: Multifunctional Shelving
Category: Generative, Algorithmic, Parametric and AI-Assisted Design
Discipline: Design Strategy
Industry: Innovation and Design Industry
Colors: Dim Gray, Gray, Dark Gray, Rosy Brown and Dark Slate Gray
Images: 5
Client: Ahtehha

The Recognition

Laureate: Trevor Ryan Patt
Country: United States of America
Recognition: Silver A' Design Award
Edition: 2020 - 2021
Design ID: #112156

Design Details

Unique Properties: Lamellae uses a bespoke multi-agent model to generate a geometrically complex but refined and conceptually precise shelving system that can be endlessly customized to adapt to existing spaces and the display of unique objects. Although it has an almost baroque sculptural presence, awareness of fabrication and assembly constraints coded into the design allow it to be efficiently realized: CNC swarf cutting optimizes fabrication and allows flatpack delivery; aggregation from small, discrete elements enables limitless scaling while dimensions simplifying installation.
Inspiration: The project was inspired by historical lamella structures that operate through small, discrete elements and a distilled tectonic system. Their geometry, however is limited. I wanted to apply my research into multi-agent systems to resolve the complex spatial interdependencies that such a system would require to adapt to any customized, free-form surfaces. Additionally, using CNC fabrication, seamless joints and continuity between parts could be built into the elements themselves.
Research: Lamellae develops research on utilizing agent-based modelling in fabrication of highly-refined design work. In this project, each element of the assembly was represented by a unique software object that ensure that piece is within fabrication limits of the CNC machine and the available material dimensions while also generating the complex geometry that gives the project its seamless appearance. This allows unlimited customization of the overall form, unique features like the reading bench here, and adaptation to its surroundings when placed in complex existing conditions.
Challenge: This project recognizes the fabrication potentials and efficiency of assembly in the Zollbau lamella structures pioneered in the 1920s. The reciprocal structure of the Zollbau system allowed for large forms to be built out of many, small elements. However, the forms that could be produced were quite limited because any adaptation of the shape had to be propagated through every piece. This research began by using multi-agent modeling to solve the problem of the lamella structure on a free-form shape, utilizing the discrete elements as an expressive element.
Realization and Technology: The generative model was custom programmed as a multi-agent model in python. Each lamella unit is represented by an individual software agent that determines its position, adjusts its orientation, checks intersections, and generates the geometry for joining and surfacing. Customization can be controlled by the designer to adjust the pattern, to adapt to the context, and to introduce disruptions to the surface. At any point in the design process, all pieces can be automatically laid out and unrolled for fabrication. In the testing stage, a custom exporter for hotwire cutting was written for machining fullscale mockups directly from the model file.
Operation and Interaction: The shelving unit was designed to display diverse work in fabrication and 3d printing as well as to compile a library of technical research for the entrance lobby of a research centre. This motivated a design with shelves of many different dimensions and the inclusion of a seating alcove within the structure. The generative system behind the piece is much more flexible allowing freestanding spatial forms, even structural vaults.
Project Duration and Location: This project is located in the foyer of the DManD Research Centre in Singapore. It is the culmination of a research track initiated 2014. Fabrication and installation were completed in October 2019.
Specifications: Overall dimensions: 7000mm x 3000mm x 900mm Materials: 18mm Baltic Birch Plywood, 1mm Lasercut Aluminum, 7mm Recycled PET Felt Panels
Keywords: mulit-agent modelling, generative design, digital fabrication, furniture, installation