The simple design tool making the impossible possible. Everyone said loopcreative’s plan for Alquema’s flagship store couldn’t be done, but they knew better. We find out how 3D printing turned an abstract design into reality.
Visit Alquema’s flagship store in Sydney’s Queen Victoria Building and you may not be the first to confuse it for a gallery.
Design studio loopcreative’s elegant, refined treatment of the space highlights each item while allowing it to speak for itself, much like an exhibit of great works of art. “[The owner] could have a showing here,” explains interior designer Michelle Grimm. “She could take all the clothes out and have paintings hanging.”
Perhaps the store’s most striking piece is a giant custom designed, sculptural steel rack that displays clothing while guiding shoppers through the space, dictating the way they experience the brand. Amazingly, if not for loopcreative’s forward thinking this centrepiece would never exist. “We had no fewer than five builders tell us that what we had designed could not be built,” recalls loopcreative director Rod Faucheux.
So the team turned to technology for their answer. By printing 3D nylon models, Faucheux and Grimm were able to make their idea tangible and simple. It was this process that opened the door to a builder who could grasp their concept and help them realise it.
The final piece is nothing short of spectacular. Owning the store’s pride of place, the rack stands as a remarkable tribute to the fact that nothing is impossible with some ingenuity, determination and the right means of communication.
A searchable and comprehensive guide for specifying leading products and their suppliers
Keep up to date with the latest and greatest from our industry BFF's!
Channelling the enchanting ambience of the Caffè Greco in Rome, Budapest’s historic Gerbeaud, and Grossi Florentino in Melbourne, Ross Didier’s new collection evokes the designer’s affinity for café experience, while delivering refined seating for contemporary hospitality interiors.
The American Hardwood Export Council promotes the works of next-gen designers through Discovered Singapore exhibition happening from 16 to 22 May at Red Dot Design Museum Singapore.
Suitable for applications ranging from schools and retail outlets to computer rooms and X-ray suites, Palettone comes in two varieties and a choice of more than fifty colours.
We spoke to Ketil Årdal, CEO of Danish green-tech design brand, Mater, as they unveiled the Alder collection at Milan Design Week.
BLP announces the topping out of Health Infrastructure’s $658m Sydney Children’s Hospital Stage 1 and Minderoo Children’s Comprehensive Cancer Centre building.
The internet never sleeps! Here's the stuff you might have missed
Third in the series of boutique hotels under the Lloyd’s Inn brand, Lloyd’s Inn Kuala Lumpur bring the immediacy of nature to the new high-rise hospitality experience in the heart of a bustling city.
Extrapolating the typology of farmhouse architecture, Cameron Anderson Architects (CAARCH) has drawn on the local architecture of Mudgee in both form and materiality to deliver a surprising suite of buildings.