Re-Tree-T (2017)
Material & Detail studio. Chalmers tekniska högskola, Göteborg.



The Material & Detail studio at Chalmers tekniska högskola, Göteborg, considers architecture in a world that is increasingly conditioned by material networks. The studio creatively explores the opportunities as well as the constraints of this emergent condition.

In a design competition, students of the studio were asked to develop of a piece of outdoor decking, enclosure and furnishing system for the outdoor area next to the Chalmers Student Union Restaurant. It was to be made of engineered timber, which was to be manufactured off site and self-built and customised on site. Re-Tree-T was voted as the winning proposal, resulting in a full-scale prototype to be built.

There are four main areas with different zones: entrance area, hang out area, lounge area, and restaurant area. The whole arrangement supports the existing seating and is oriented towards the hill, where a stage will be placed. The size of the zone is followed by the size of the furniture.

The first type of furniture are seating decks with incorporated tables. The second type of the furniture is a structure creating canopies and portals between zones or a closed room and is built out of the elements which are the waste produced from cutting the decks.

Prototype
The prototype consists of a part of the canopy and a seating platform that is a little inserted into the gaps of the canopy pillar. While the lower part of the canopy structure consists of fitting, dense waste pieces, the upper part is more open to let light through and allows for birds to nest and plants to grow inside the structure. 




Credits
Competition posters (58 MB)
Material & Detail 2017 book (238 MB)

About