SUrface Design

Axolotl manufactures a range of bespoke architectural surfaces including metal, glass, concrete and timber products which are virtually unlimited in design potential. Axolotl extends both the design and construction potential of any project to become a unique source of inspiration for architects and designers.

Whilst part of the design team at Axolotl, among other tasks, I engaged in a significant amount of R&D, developing innovative processes, that now form part of the Axolotl product range. The following images document some of the processes, both complete and in various stages of development.

https://www.axolotl.com.au/

Cast Stools

Whilst conducting form development experiments for the Displace stool, an aerated concrete product ‘Heble’ was used to in place of the sandstone. Significantly cheaper, lighter and easier to work, this gave opportunity to prototype form, and prove concept as the design took shape.

Having no real structure, the Heble prototypes quickly crumbled and degraded, leaving the bright, shiny pewter skeleton in its place. Further exploring this manufacturing process, this stool is the first of a series of experiments, that seek to develop forms that could not be created through any other production method.

Cavities are drilled into the timber, to allow the molten pewter to form complex cast geometries, forever linking the two materials. As with the Displace project, pewter was sourced from a scrap metal recyclery, in the form of decorative plates, commemorative mugs, and other capsules of nostalgia, that are then are melted down and cast into this new form. This cycle can continue, with any surplus metal, or failed castings being re-melted for the next iteration.

Materials : Heble, Tasmanian Oak, Recycled Pewter.