Aitable Laulau 'Ai by Carlos Banon and Felix Raspall

Aitable Laulau 'Ai by Carlos Banon and Felix Raspall is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award Auro in Mamanu Lolomi 3D Competition Category.

AuroLolomi 3D· 2021

Aitable Laulau 'Ai

by Carlos Banon and Felix Raspall

Client: AirLab SUTD

A' Design Award Auro Winner in Lolomi 3D Category

500,021

Verified Award Winner

Verify Award Status for #123185

View at A' Design Award Press Release Award Badge

Colors

The Design

About Aitable Laulau 'Ai

O le Aitable o se laulau 'ai e lagolagoina e vae apamemea e tolu. O laulau masani e amoina se fogalaulau mamafa e mana'omia se vaega mafiafia i lalo ifo. O vae lala o le Aitable na fa'atulagaina i polokalame o le atamai fa'akomepiuta (artificial intelligence) e fa'aitiitia ai meafaitino a'o fa'atumauina le malosi o le fausaga. Na fa'aaogaina fa'ata'ita'iga oneone lolomi 3D sa'o lelei, ma o vae ta'itasi e tolu e tulaga ese na sasa'a i le apamemea ma fa'aiilaina i lima. O fogaeleele fa'aiilaina e faia ai ata'ata felanulanua'i i lalo o le malamalama fesuisuia'i. E fua le laulau i le 1600 i le 1000 i le 750 milimita.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Auro

O le A' Design Award Auro na manumalo ai Aitable Laulau 'Ai, o se faamaoniga matuā mamalu e tuuina atu i mamanu o le tulaga muamua, matagofie ma maoaʻe. O ē manumalo i le Auro o galuega fou tele, matuā vaai i le lumanaʻi ma susulu e faaalia ai le atamai, le poto ma le tomai o tagata mamanu. E faamoemoeina Aitable Laulau 'Ai e avea ma mea fou e matuā vivii, e faatulaga ai uiga fou ma tetele, e tuuina mai ai se tau e leʻi iai muamua. O lenei mamanu na manumalo i le A' Design Award Auro o se galuega ofoofogia, ua faaaloalogia, e aogā tele ma tuleia atu tapulaʻa o le faatufugaga, saienisi, mamanu ma tekonolosi. Aitable Laulau 'Ai e fatuina ai lagona malosi o le manaʻo, faaosofia le tuinanau, faalauiloa le fatufatuaʻi ma faamalosia i tatou.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

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

Unique Properties: Standard designs for a table this heavy would require a thick section under the tabletop.
Artificial intelligence presents a powerful tool to search for structurally more efficient design strategies to deliver radically new aesthetics.
Using precise 3DPrinted sand molds, the three unique legs are cast in bronze and manually polished, creating sophisticated reflects of nuanced refections under changing light conditions.
AI Table showcases how digital design can foster creativity and pragmatism.
Dimensions & Packaging: 1600 x 1000 x 750 mm

The material of choice turned to bronze. Therefore, a positive model made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA for short) was 3D printed, and the models were then transformed into cast parts by the renowned artistic foundry Strassacker, based in Germany
Tags: Additive Manufacturing, 3D Printing, Digital Design, Artificial Intelligence
Production Technology: PPMA Printed Mold
Cast Bronze
Autodesk Fusion 360
Design Challenge: The idea behind these branching table legs is not just based on the creative mind of a human being, but also the AI functionality of Autodesk Fusion 360 software combined with powerful 3D printing technology and traditional metal casting.

To cast the parts, the foundry molded the PMMA patterns into a ceramic shell that met the high-precision specifications. And as filigree as the end product may appear, in terms of stability these table legs are fully equal to a solid construction. The difference is made by a significantly reduced material input thanks to AI-assisted design and 3D pattern printing.

With 3D sand printing, formwork skins or entire formworks for concrete casting applications can be 3D printed regardless of their complexity. The printed formwork elements can be post-processed and optimized for ideal surface finish and for resistance to external weather conditions on construction sites, and can be conveniently combined with conventional formwork systems. Alternatively, formwork elements up to 4 x 2 x 1 meters in size can be printed without tools and in one piece. All common types of concrete, such as UHCP, can then be processed.
Research: The table is a statement on the redefinition of ornamentation in furniture design. The three bronze legs were designed following an ultra pragmatic process of material reduction with the help of powerful AI algorithms. Consequently, there is no additional layer of decoration. Each ounce of bronze is solely placed with the purpose of increasing the overall structural performance.

The smooth and fluid geometry of the legs and the delicate tabletop provides a rich tactile quality.
Inspiration: At first glance, they are just a few table legs. The filigree, interwoven structures could be the work of a designer, inspired by observations made during a walk in the forest. To ensure that such fragile-looking structures do not collapse under the weight of a heavy tabletop, however, profound knowledge of the calculation of static loads is required in addition to artistic skill.
Project Duration: 1 year
Singapore
Operation Flow: This unique fabrication process combines a traditional method such as bronze casting with state-of-the-art 3D Printing moulds. The chosen sand-3DPrinting system is a powder-based process that does not require supports in the build process. On the one hand, this feature eliminates the need for printed (and lost) support structures, and, on the other, almost 100% of the unbound powder can be reused.
Team Members: AIRLAB @SUTD
Carlos Bañon
Felix Raspall
Jonathan Ng
Muhd Syahid
Natalie Chen