Hasta La Ideas

British designer Benjamin Hubert has developed a more stable version of his lightweight Ripple table, which features on the shortlist for Designs of the Year 2014 (+ slideshow).

Hubert launched the original Ripple table during last year’s London Design Festival to demonstrate the structural capabilities of a lightweight laminated plywood material called Corelam.

The nine kilogram product was described as the world’s lightest table, but attracted criticism from Dezeen readers who wondered whether it was robust enough for practical use.

“I can’t imagine this is very sturdy – at 2.5 metres long it looks and feels too flimsy,” said one reader, while another suggested: “You should prove stability, not lightness.”

In reaction to doubts over the product’s practicality, Hubert and his team performed a series of strength and stability tests before overhauling the design to improve its structural properties. It is now strong enough to hold the weight of a person.

“I think it’s important to make products that really work,” Hubert told Dezeen. “A concept always needs to be proven, and we enjoy healthy criticism as it pushes us to go further.”

The updated version features a curve across the underside of the table surface that increases its tensile strength, as well as a new leg design with a triangulated cross section.

A brace attaching the legs to the tabletop is also made from Corelam. This has been pressed to produce an undulating profile that creates a transition between the corrugated surface and the flat area to which the legs are fixed.

Up to ten people people can be seated around the 2.5 by 1 metre table, which uses 80 percent less material than a standard timber table and still weighs just 10.5 kilograms

In direct response to comments suggesting that the original table should have been shown with someone standing on it to demonstrate its strength, Hubert has done just that with the new version.

The Ripple table is on show as part of the Designs of the Year exhibition at London’s Design Museum, which opens today and runs until 25 August.

Here’s a press release from Benjamin Hubert:

Ripple 2.0
Held by 1. Holds 1. Seats 10.

Ahead of the Design Museum’s Designs of the Year 2014, Benjamin Hubert Ltd has launched the production-ready version of the nominated Ripple table, which is now also available for purchase through Benjamin Hubert Ltd. The table can still be assembled and manoeuvred by a single person but can now easily support the equivalent of a person’s weight, further demonstrating the properties of the lightweight construction.

Following a series of rigorous strength and stability tests undertaken by the studio, the underside of the table’s surface now curves gently across its length and width, adding tensile strength to the structure. The improved leg design now employs a hollow triangular profile that offers increased strength and rigidity in two directions. The brace between the legs has a curved cross section to increase the strength of the connection between the leg and the table surface. As the corrugated plywood meets the legs, it gradually transitions to a flat surface, providing a smooth intersection.

Ripple uses 80% less material than a standard timber table, and at 2.5 metres long and 1 metre wide, it now offers ample space for ten place sittings. The table’s impressive strength to weight ratio is enabled by an innovative production process of corrugating plywood for furniture through pressure lamination, which was developed by Benjamin Hubert Ltd in collaboration with Canadian manufacturer Corelam.

Ripple is made entirely from 3 ply 0.8mm sitka spruce, a timber sourced only in Canada, where the table is manufactured. The engineered timber was also used in construction of the Hughes H-4 Hercules – popularly known as the “Spruce Goose” – the world’s largest all-timber airplane. The strength of the material in combination with a unique lamination process means the edge of Ripple measures just 3.5mm.

Ripple was designed as part of an internal studio research project into lightweight constructions, and was first launched at Aram Store during London Design Festival last year. Ripple will be exhibited as part of the Design Museum’s Designs of the Year 2014.

Material: Sitka Spruce 0.8mm aircraft plywood
Dimensions: L 2.5m x W 0.95m x H 0.74m

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is now strong enough to stand on appeared first on Dezeen.

London Design Festival 2013: London designer Benjamin Hubert claims to have created the world’s lightest timber table and is showing it off at the Aram Gallery in London this week (+ movie).

Benjamin Hubert worked with Canadian manufacturer Corelam to develop the table, which is 2.5 metres long, one metre wide and weighs just nine kilograms.

The structure was made by corrugating three layers of 0.8 millimetre-thick birch aircraft plywood. The edge of the table is just 3.5 millimetres thick.

The corrugated wooden structure is covered with a plain sheet to give a flat top, while the A-frame legs are made from a sandwich of two corrugated layers.

“Made using 70-80 percent less material than a standard timber table, Ripple can be assembled and manoeuvred by a single person,” Hubert said.

Ripple will be launched at the Aram Store in London’s Covent Garden as part of a solo exhibition of Hubert’s work taking place during the London Design Festival.

Benjamin Hubert has also designed a chair made from lightweight woven mesh and aluminium that weighs just three kilograms, another chair with a seat and back formed from a single curled sheet of plywood, and a series of tables made from expanded steel mesh – see more products by Benjamin Hubert.

See all our stories about London Design Festival 2013 »
See Dezeen’s map and guide to London Design Festival 2013 »

Here’s a project description from the designer:

Ripple: Benjamin Hubert Research

Benjamin Hubert has designed the world’s lightest timber table as part of an internal studio research project into lightweight constructions. The table, titled Ripple, is 2.5 metres long, 1 metre wide, and weighs just 9 kilograms. Made using 70-80% less material than a standard timber table, Ripple can be assembled and manoeuvred by a single person.

The table’s impressive strength to weight ratio is enabled by an innovative production process of corrugating plywood for furniture through pressure lamination, which was developed by Benjamin Hubert with Canadian manufacturer Corelam.

Ripple is made entirely from 3 ply 0.8mm birch aircraft plywood, a timber sourced only in Canada, where the table is manufactured. The material is the same as that used in construction of the Hughes H-4 Hercules – popularly known as the “Spruce Goose” – the world’s largest all timber airplane. The strength of the material in combination with the unique lamination process means the edge of Ripple measures just 3.5mm.

Ripple is minimal in its design language, employing a simple knockdown construction. The top surface is corrugated plywood overlaid by a flat sheet, and the A-frame legs are a sandwich construction of two corrugated plywood layers.

Ripple will be launched at Aram Store during London Design Festival in September as part of Benjamin Hubert’s inaugural UK solo exhibition, Antecedents. It will be available to buy from September on commission through Benjamin Hubert.

Material: Canadian Spruce 0.8mm aircraft plywood
Dimensions: L2.5mxW1mxH0.74m

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Benjamin Hubert appeared first on Dezeen.

Product news: British designer Benjamin Hubert has created a chair with a hammock-like back for Italian furniture brand Moroso.

Called Cradle, the design is a cross between an upholstered lounge chair and a flexible hammock.

The steel frame of the hammock supports a textile mesh, which has been CNC-cut to allow it to stretch around the sitter’s shape.

“The chair’s aesthetic is purposefully architectural with a sharp rectilinear backrest contrasted with a softer seating area,” explains Hubert.

The chair was launched in Milan last month alongside another of chair by Hubert for Moroso, which looks as if it’s wrapped in a cloak – see all Dezeen’s coverage of Milan 2013.

Other designs by Hubert we’ve featured lately include a metal frame armchair that weighs only three kilograms and a family of terracotta pots with rubber lids – see all design by Benjamin Hubert.

Other Moroso furniture we’ve published includes Patricia Urquiola’s chairs with backrests wrapped in rush and Nendo’s chair shaped like a stiletto heel – see all furniture by Moroso.

Here’s some more information from the designer:

Cradle is a new lounge chair launching at Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April 2013. The project is the result of a close collaboration between Benjamin Hubert and Italian brand Moroso.

The product is a unique blend of two typologies of seating – a net structured hammock and a conventional upholstered lounge chair. The chair’s aesthetic is purposefully architectural with a sharp rectilinear backrest contrasted with a softer seating area, breaking traditional rules of seating typology and styling.

The chair stems from the studio’s materials-driven, process-led industrial design approach, research into the construction of mesh materials, and a study of the relationships between traditional seating components.

Cradle utilises a custom-made cut pattern that allows a non-elastic textile to stretch in a controlled manner in a three dimensional form. This allows for the correct tension to comfortably support the body and both visually and physically reduces the product’s weight and cost.

The chair comprises a metal frame supporting a non-elastic textile with a geometric cut pattern, which cradles an upholstered seat block.

Materials: CNC-cut Kvadrat textile mesh, steel frame, moulded polyurethane, Kvadrat textile

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for Moroso appeared first on Dezeen.

Product news: this armchair by London designer Benjamin Hubert weighs just three kilograms.

Called Membrane, the chair by Benjamin Hubert for German brand Classicon comprises a steel and aluminium frame covered in 3D-woven mesh fabric.

“The chair stems from research into the construction of tents and sports products with a focus on space frames and stretched textile,” says Hubert.

The CNC-shaped framework is wrapped in a 3D-woven stretchy textile cover with integrated seat pads, fastened with zips.

“The combination of metal frame and padded textile allows Membrane to use a minimal amount of polyurethane foam – a conventional armchair would be covered almost entirely with foam – therefore reducing the carbon footprint of this type of product,” Hubert adds.

The design was presented at the Salone Internazionale del Mobile in April.

In London last year Hubert launched a collection of lamps made from underwear fabric stretched over wire frames that was also based on tensile structures.

See all our stories about design by Benjamin Hubert »
See all our stories about chair design »
See all our stories about Milan 2013 »

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for Classicon appeared first on Dezeen.

In the next of our movies filmed at Dezeen Live during 100% Design, British industrial designer Benjamin Hubert argues that designers should focus on building their own name as a brand.

Above: “misused” furniture in Brazil

In the movie, Hubert says that “a designer’s name is incredibly powerful” and “designers really need to focus on their own name”.

“Do one thing really well, talk about one thing really well, have a message, have an ethos, and keep hammering it home,” he advises. “It’s a simple process but it’s been really beneficial for us.”

Above: overhead cables in Japan

Hubert starts off by showing a selection of images that inspire his work, including overhead cables in Japan, which he describes as “organised chaos”, and “misused” furniture from Brazil where people have strapped chairs to pillars and trees to create makeshift living spaces.

“They’re sort of used for old boys watching the street, watching the world go by, and I just love this idea that they’ve been customised,” he explains. “It’s these strange ways that furniture is misused and has a second life. I just find this story and the life cycle of a product really interesting.”

Above: Tenda lamps in Hubert’s studio

He then discusses his studio’s new in-house approach to the design and manufacture of some projects. Commenting on the tent-like lighting he launched at London Design Festival in September, he explains: “Instead of handing it over to a third party and essentially having a middle man in the process, we decided that we’d develop the whole thing.”

“It’s just thinking about the idea of tapping into that, and diversifying from the royalty model and the fee model to doing a bit of self production,” he adds.

Hubert presented the Tenda lamps at designjunction this year, alongside a chair made from a T-shirt-shaped piece of bent plywood developed for Portugese brand De La Espada.

Above: furniture by Benjamin Hubert at designjunction

Dezeen Live was a series of discussions between Dezeen editor-in-chief Marcus Fairs and a number of designers and critics that took place at design exhibition 100% Design during London Design Festival this September.

Each of the four one-hour shows, recorded live in front of an audience, included three interviews plus music from Dezeen Music Project featuring a new act each day. We’ve been posting all the movies we filmed over the past few days, and you can watch all the movies we’ve featured so far here.

The music featured in the movie is a track called Witness is Silent by American designer and musician Glen Lib. Listen to more of his songs on Dezeen Music Project.

See all our stories about Benjamin Hubert »
See all our stories about Dezeen Live »
See all our stories about London Design Festival 2012 »

The post “It’s all about brand – a designer’s name is
powerful” – Benjamin Hubert at Dezeen Live appeared first on Dezeen.