Steel U Meja Bar by Joey van Beek is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2022 A' Design Award Basi in Seni Rupa Competition Category.

BasiSeni Rupa· 2022

Steel U Meja Bar

by Joey van Beek

Client: Industrial Office

A' Design Award Basi Winner in Seni Rupa Category

20,332
Verified Award Winner
Verify Award Status for #137000

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Steel U Meja Bar

Steel U, sabuah disain nan badasarkan maso lalu, dicipta pado kini, jo dibuat jo niat untuak maminspirasi maso nan akan datang. Iko manghasilkan gabungan dari papan meja baja nan digunoan baliak nan ditunjang dek kaki-kaki beton nan diancuakan dek emosi fisik. Dengan caro iko, disain tu sacaro harfiah manjadi bahagian dari urang nan mangancuakan beton tasuik. Gabungan ko mambarikan tantangan fisik jo mental salamo proses, tapi pado akiknyo manghasilkan sabuah disain nan mambarikan kapuasan.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Basi

Steel U Meja Bar adolah pamenang A' Design Award Basi, sabuah pangakuan nan bapresti nan dibarikan ka rancangan nan elok nan mamanuhi kaparluan profesional jo industri nan dipaokan dari ciptaan nan dirancang jo elok. Pamenang Basi mamparlihatkan kamahiran nan gadang, spesialisasi nan tinggi, pamahaman pakar jo kapasitas kreatif panciptanyo. Steel U Meja Bar dipaokan manjadi ciptaan nan sangaik dihormati, dikagumi jo disayangi, nan praktis jo inovatif. Rancangan nan manang Basi iko mamasukkan praktik tabaik industri jo punyo ciri teknis nan cakap nan bapautan jo ilimu jo bakaik. Steel U Meja Bar dihormati karano katalitiannyo jo dirancang untuak maningkekkan kualitas hiduik jo mambantu manjadikan dunia tampek nan labiah elok.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Steel U, is a combination of reusing emotion and scrap metal. The tabletop is made from 70mm solid reused steel which is supported by two concrete blocks. These are connected by reinforcement steel which is made into shape by forging. The shape of the block is made by the person who owns the table. The way this is done; is by pouring first a smooth concrete block in a mold, which then will destroyed by the owner with a sledgehammer and jack hammer.
Dimensions & Packaging: Width 3220mm x Depth 650mm x Height 1120mm. Weight 988kg. Tabletop is S355 steel displayed under 10mm hardened glass. Legs are regular concrete with an inner steel shell to create an air chamber for reducing weight. Connection rods are reinforcement steel.
Tags: Steel U, Thoughts, Emotion, Steel, Concrete, Forged, Industrial Office
Production Technology: The tabletop is made from 70mm S355 steel which was used for producing machine parts. The shapes are made by the oxygen cutting process and when no more parts could come from the plate, it became scrap metal. This was outside, which gave after 2 years in the rain and sun the current look. The reinforcement steel rods where then first forged in an arch and then welded to the tabletop. After making a steel mold, the reinforcement steel was place in the mold and then covered in regular concrete.
Design Challenge: The hardest part was to make the concrete legs, which had to look like demolition but had to show the emotion of the owner. So I called help from my best friend, who is my father, because he had built his own house. I explained the look and strength that I wanted to have and he knew right away what was needed and how to execute. This way he thought and showed me what I needed to know so I could make the second leg myself with him as my mentor by my side checking.
Research: The first research I did, was to check if I could find on the internet a furniture design that ,was or looked like it, came from a demolition. After not finding it, I started with the question on how to make the process an experience. My mind went from concrete, to create, to sculpting, to sculpture, to how to sculpt, to thoughts, to experiencing and then to emotion. This resulted in the method of the owner using emotions physically to destroying the legs first to then create.
Inspiration: At the company which I have with my father to build conveyors, I wanted to create an office that was not about functionality, but about productivity. Inspired by my love for industrial designs I noticed the tabletop between the scrap metal, and wanted to use it because that is what you see when standing behind it. The legs got inspiration from demolition. But I wanted to put literally my emotions in to the concrete base, so I came up with the concept of pouring it first and then destroying it.
Project Duration: The idea started on July 2020 in Ede, The Netherlands at my home. But because the tabletop did not yet have the right appearance I needed to wait. When it did have the appearance, it was January 2022. The legs were then made and finished on 13 February 2022 in Ede, The Netherlands at my workshop.
Operation Flow: The tabletop is made from scrap metal, so this way it cannot be replicated because steel and the way it is handled during production is never the same. Then the reinforcement steel to support it is there to make it look as if the concrete legs came out of a demolition. The concrete shape is not just for the demolition look, but also to make the table show the emotion of the owner. The owner will have thoughts when destroying the legs and those thought at that moment will be visible to them.