Volta Coffee Table by Chih-Chieh Huang - NTHU is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 Bronze A' Design Award in Furniture Design Competition Category.
BronzeFurniture· 2021
Volta Coffee Table
Client: Scottie Chih-Chieh Huang, National Tsing Hua University
Bronze A' Design Award Winner in Furniture Category
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #122527The Design
About Volta Coffee Table
Volta is a coffee table inspired by the rib vaults of cathedral ceilings. The frame is composed of crossed and diagonal arched ribs that shape the structural lines of the piece. Curved stainless steel plates are staggered at a 45 degree angle to support the tabletop, and the legs recall arched structural columns. The tabletop is made of half-reflecting glass, so the structure below stays visible. An internal light source is reflected and refracted by the glass, projecting light and shadow into the surrounding room.
The Recognition
About the Bronze A' Design Award
Volta Coffee Table is a Bronze A' Design Award winner, a highly prestigious recognition granted to outstanding designs distinguished by creativity, ingenuity, and astuteness. Bronze winners are amply skillful and strikingly creative artifacts that authenticate the vast experience, imagination, and resourcefulness of their designers. Volta Coffee Table is expected to be a highly regarded, admired, and cherished object that is notably professional and innovative. This Bronze A' Design Award-winning design incorporates best practices in art, science, design, and technology, and is excellent for its attention to detail. Volta Coffee Table splendidly satisfies needs, touches desires, charms feelings, and appeals to curiosity.
Behind the Design
Press Kit
Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.
- Unique Properties
- The designer uses a frame form composed of cross or diagonal arched ribs as a basis rule to explore the structural lines and shapes of the object. The design of the table legs refers to the structure’s arched structure column. The special arc-shaped steel plates are staggered at a 45-degree angle to form the support structure of the tabletop.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Material/ Stainless Steel, Half-reflecting glass, light
Dimension/ 480mmW x 480mmD x 430mmH - Tags
- coffee table, light installation, arched structure, structural design, illumination, interior
- Production Technology
- In the design making processes and manufacturing tasks, the first version uses metal sculpture approach to manually bend and weld steel bars to make the main structure. The second version is an improved version of the first version. Designer used CAD and CNC to cut steel plates to accurately fabricate the structure. In the structural design, special consideration is given to lightweight and visual performance, and the assembly details are also considered to ensure manufacturing feasibility
- Design Challenge
- This work interprets the visual appeal and beauty of the arched structure from a human perspective when look up at the space of the cathedral. Through the refraction and reflection between its inside light source and the half-reflective glass used on the desktop, the object can project the beauty of the arched building into the indoor environment in the form of light and shadow.
- Research
- Designer used CAD and CNC to cut steel plates to accurately fabricate the structure. In the structural design, special consideration is given to lightweight and visual performance, and the assembly details are also considered to ensure manufacturing feasibility.
- Inspiration
- Volta is an alternative coffee table design, inspired by the rib vault of the cathedral. This work hopes to interpret the visual appeal and beauty of the arched structure from a human perspective when look up at the space of the cathedral.
- Project Duration
- The project started in June 2012 in Anderson Ranch Arts Center in Colorado, USA. And finished in April 2015 in Hsinchu, Taiwan. It was exhibited in Salone del Mobile in April 2015 (IT), Taipei Fine Arts Museum 2015 (TW), and FORMOSA Sculpture Biennial 2017 (TW).
- Operation Flow
- The object uses a half-reflective glass as its table-top surface. In daily mode, it presents a special transparent color, allowing users to appreciate the both functional and beautiful structural lines under the table. In the night lighting mode, through the refraction and reflection between its inside light source and the half-reflective glass used on the desktop, the object can project the beauty of the arched building into the indoor environment in the form of light and shadow.
- Patents
- Copyrights by Scottie Chih-Chieh Huang
- Team Members
- project investigator, director/ Scottie Chih-Chieh Huang
design assistant/ Andy Liao - Image Credits
- Main Image/ Photo by Wen-Shan Lin
Optional Image#1/ Photo by Wen-Shan Lin
Optional Image#2/ Photo by Scottie Chih-Chieh Huang
Optional Image#3/ Photo by Scottie Chih-Chieh Huang
Optional Image#4/ Photo by Scottie Chih-Chieh Huang
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