Beneath the Surface Blog

As we voyage into 2012, the hexagonal geometric form is appearing everywhere. The way in which this relatively simplistic form can be manipulated into patterns, textures, and overall structures, makes it a popular and versatile choice for a graphic aesthetic. Here are some of our favorite uses of hexagons that create truly dynamic and intriguing designs.

While most often treated as a flat plane in graphic motifs, the spatial possibilities of the hexagon shape are most interesting when it is extruded or modeled into three dimensions.

Images compiled by GPI Design, individual image credits: TheCoolHunter, ArchitecturalDigest, DesignMilk, TrendLand, Tang Chan via Flickr

We’ve all been there…You’re stuck in a seminar, class, or meeting, and all there is to sit on is a cold, hard, aluminum folding chair. Just the sight of one of these assembly seating staples is enough to conjure feelings of numb appendages and boredom. You know its going to be a long day.

While often only marginally better than sitting on the floor, these unassuming chairs were once a symbol of authority and status. In antiquity, rulers, commanding officers, and other respected figures were the only ones fortunate enough to use them. Because of this association, the folding chair was considered a prized possession and the most important furnishing in a space. However, in more recent times, there seems to have been a substantial shift in that hierarchy. Today, folding metal chairs are more often that not, regarded as a tacky seating solution at best, or an extreme wrestling weapon at worst. A far cry from the regal pieces of furniture they once were.

A new company, however, is working to change this negative perception of the folding chair. Inspired by paper sculptures, designers Douwe Jacobs and Tom Schouten of Flux, used innovative folding and artful play of angles to create a chair with a clean, and visually appealing silhouette. The sleek and slightly geometric style gives a much needed update to the overall appearance, bringing this seat from antiquity into current times. Furthermore, the arches and angles create a sense of movement and fluidity, much different than its rigid and static predecessor. Standing alone, the chair could be confused for a piece of art, rather than a portable seating device.

The Flux chair is not only beautiful in form, but also beautiful in function. Made of weather-proof polypropylene that can be used indoors or out, the Flux chair assembles in 10 seconds with just a few flips and folds. Weighing only 10.6 lbs, the chair is easily portable and can support over 33 times its weight – a whopping 352 lbs. And while this revamped folding chair boasts a fresh silhouette and inherent strength, another of its best attributes is its slim storage profile. Folding to a just over half an inch in depth when dismantled, 21 chairs are able to fit in a 1 foot space making it quite easy to store in tight areas. And with today’s ever increasing need for space in a continually shrinking world, this is an attractive attribute for anyone wanting to conserve on wasted space.

With already one award under their belt (UK’s Grand Design Product of the Year Award), Flux seems to have caught onto something important. And while the concept of a folding chair isn’t quite original, the way in which they approached and achieved the result, certainly is. Not only by reinventing the folding chair, but reinventing the negative stigma attached. Can’t wait to see what Flux will tackle next!

Image credits: brtpropshop via Flickr Creative Commons, y-living.com

If you missed our first blog post about GPI technicians arriving on-site for this long awaited backlighting installation at the Grand Hyatt San Francisco, check it out here (and take a peek at the project rendering).

After a labor-intensive weekend, the bottom and center rows of the custom-built 3Form Varia Ecoresin and wood slatted surface panels are now illuminated.

To ensure that the intense patterning of wood and light was not further disrupted by structural shadows and inconsistent lighting, the fastening system has been considered hand-in-hand with the backlighting system design from the earliest concept stage.

Blocking on the back of the 3Form/wood surface panels not only reinforces the eight foot panels, but also provides a channel to hold the Flat-Lite™ at the correct distance from the lens.  The combination of burying powered LED edges into the blocking and employing diffusing tapes ensures that hot spots are not visible from any viewing angle of the feature walls.

Notice the trapezoidal panel shapes along the bottom course of panels? With special attention to light collection in the acute corners,the LED light panels were custom designed with controls and filters to provide even illumination.

More photographs of the entire completed feature wall coming soon as this installation wraps up!

For the extensive renovation of the San Francisco Grand Hyatt in Union Square, the teams at Indidesign (interior design) and Revolver (lighting design) envisioned a custom panel and backlighting treatment to revive the wall surfaces at the main escalator.

Extending from the lower lobby to the main lobby, dark wood panels striated with thin lines of illuminated 3Form Varia Ecoresin clad the escalator walls. The custom-built backlit panels bring innovative light, interesting texture, and a unique pattern as viewers move throughout the levels of the hotel.

Above: Project rendering from Indidesign

The team here at GPI has worked on the project for over 6 months, coordinating closely with the millwork team at Acosta & Sons to merge our backlighting solutions with their custom wood and resin panels.  Flexibility has been key in the project, as field dimensions shift, so have our strategies, LED panel sizes, fastening devices, and methods of controlling and balancing the light. (Special thanks to Cliff at Acosta & Sons for hand-delivering the 3Form panels on a redeye from California to Ohio so we could test the lighting!)

The custom components (Flat-Lite™ LED panels, Infuse™ custom lighting controls, wiring, and diffuser panels) arrived to site on August 1. Shortly thereafter, GPI lighting technicians arrived on-site to assist with the time-sensitive installation.

Above: Photograph of the first day’s progress, east elevation center and bottom rows of LED panels installed.

We enjoy being on-site to finally witness these intense coordination efforts come to fruition. Stay tuned for more photos and updates as this project progresses - we’ll share more about the process of generating the LED panel design, how the custom wood /resin panels were created, and how shadows and hot spots were eliminated.

Above: Boeing interior before re-design

Air travelers might have noticed something different about a plane ride they recently took. The venerable 737, workhorse of many airlines, has been redesigned from nose to tail, including a fresh look inside the cabin. Gone are the boxy overheads and bright yellow incandescent lights. Boeing has replaced these when they designed the new Sky Interior which holds more carry-on bags while increasing headroom. In fact, a person over six feet tall can comfortably stand up in the aisle seats. Redesigned windows that allow more light and improve visibility while keeping the same pane size contribute to the greater sense of openness.

Above: Boeing Sky interior with new and improved lighting design

The most exciting and innovative aspect of the Sky Interior is the new lighting system. Recessed alcoves are populated with super-efficient light-emitting diodes (LEDs) that normally project a sky-blue hue. Human eyes primarily rely on blue light, known as "cool colors", in instances where illumination is limited. The blue light sensitive rods of the retina are 100x more receptive to light than the red sensing cones - that's why the world takes on a more bluish hue after the sun goes down. Cool color LEDs allow for more lighting in the cabin while keeping the light less intrusive.

Above: View of new Boeing Sky interior with blue LED lighting

The psychology of color, going back over 92,000 years, has shown that blue also has a calming effect on individuals and will even lower heart rates and body temperatures. Glasgow recently installed blue street lights in certain neighborhoods and experienced decreased reports in crime. This promises to make flying a less unpleasant experience when the passenger in front of you decides to fully recline their seat on a trans-Pacific route.

Above: Airplane interior with variable color scenes

Besides lasting ten times longer than old incandescent bulbs, allowing more illumination with less brightness, and helping soothe passengers stuck on a runway for several hours, these new lights are also programmable with variable colors. Designers envision changing colors to better match that of the outside. As dusk approaches, for instance, the lights could begin showing a bit of a reddish hue, simulating the setting sun, then transition into a more intense blue, adding more indigo as night falls. Conversely, as the sun begins to rise that deep indigo could become more golden to match the morning rays peeking over the horizon eventually becoming the normal blue as the day unfolds. On the opposite spectrum (literally), airlines could flood the cabin with reddish light as the plane reaches the jetway to infuse energy into lethargic passengers that have spent several hours sitting in the same position. As well, during dining services a bit of warmer red light would enhance the appeal of airline food (bad news for stand-up comics)!

These cabin modifications take their cues from the work Boeing has been doing on their upcoming 787 Dreamliner which is expected to begin ferrying passengers in the third quarter of 2011. Numerous airlines and suppliers such as flydubai, United Continental, Lion Air, Virgin, GOL, and Air China have taken deliveries for this transcontinental version of the 737. With GPI's client list spanning the globe, frequent flyer miles really rack up and we definitely appreciate Boeing for embracing lighting technology to make air travel less stressful and more enjoyable.

Image credits: Wired, Boeing Blogs, Malaysian Wings

This nostalgic design is giving the design world a lot to “chirp” about. At the Tree Hotel, Inrednin Gsgruppen envisioned a design that reinforced our connection to and responsibility for the environment. By creating cylindrical rooms suspended high in a treetop, simple rounded interior spaces are formed. Portholes in the wall planes allow views out to the Swedish landscape, but the outer cladding of fallen branches shields from any views to the inside.

Guests can retract the staircase to truly encapsulate themselves in the nest environment. One double bed and two small bunk beds allow this 193 square foot space to house four hotel guests. (Though bird nests are typically home to a few newly hatched chicks and their caretakers, might the Tree Hotel be better experienced for the lone meditating guest?)

With the interior materials incorporating smooth finishes, clean lines, and light colors, the designer made an obvious departure from the textured organic outer shell. Why the dichotomy? How could the interior and lighting effects have further strengthened the “nest” experience without appearing too whimsical?

Image credits: Dornob, TreeHotel

While the exterior of building has been criticized with terms that approximate “foreign spaceship”, the interior of the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge Hotel in London employs deep textures and artistic expression. From carpet inscribed with poetry verses to high-end artwork, understated luxury abounds. But what really take center stage in this interior are the illuminated feature walls at the main entry staircase.

Designed to augment the journey through the hotel entrance with a translucent boundary, Digital Space created these massively scaled backlit walls. Framing the main staircase, the walls sweep hotel visitors from the ground floor entrance up into the first level reception area. The woven plastic mesh panels with dimensional texture provide a tactile surface with just the right amount of transparency for the visual and lighting effects the designer envisioned. LED light fixtures graze the inner surface of the wall to illuminate the mesh, changing shades of color as the day progresses.

With the unique surface choice, even continuous backlighting, and controllable color schemes, the custom illuminated wall contributes a boutique feel to this large contemporary hotel. Can't wait to get our hands on a sample of the lovely mesh and have some fun with backlighting in our Design Lab...!

Image credits: Frame Mag

Our typical backlit project involves bold and intricate moves of concealment (hiding evidence of light, structure, seams, external supports… the list goes on), and leads to a natural curiosity for designers to learn how we assemble those walls/ceiling/floors. So I was understandably refreshed to see the architectural topic of “Truth Windows” pop up on my Google Reader this morning.

These small niche-like elements allow a deeper and more analytic view into construction methods. False windows are punched through the inside walls of straw and timber homes to allow a glimpse of the materials and layers used in the wall construction. Maybe it’s their petite size and battered wooden framing that makes them so quaint, but there’s something charming and imaginative about discovering one of these in a standard home setting.

Hmmm, how would our next backlit onyx wall look with a small “truth window” right at eye level, for building users to see the innards of our creations?

How could this idea translate to commercial and public space?

Image credit: Dornob

Over the past several months, GPI Design has enjoyed the process of working with the International Interior Design Association (IIDA) to sponsor this year's student design competition. Students from accredited interior design schools in Ohio and Kentucky were invited to submit design proposals for the renovation of our office lobby (a drab space which was failing to live up to the building's namesake, "The Atrium").

Our sincere thanks to each group or individual that submitted, it was an absolute pleasure reviewing all of the fresh ideas for our LED backlighting system! It was a tough decision, but these winners really stood out:

Winner of Best Overall Design - "Diffuse" (Kent State University)

This design embraced the existing spatial elements while updating the space with a few bold moves that communicate playfully with the existing architecture. This design considered the scale of the tall atrium space and the fact that its main viewing points are from above and on the elevator. The materiality and form of the curved staircase is translated in a new, but related, manner in the tall central feature. The existing floor is retained, along with the basic color scheme. Seating areas are created simply with basic forms. While striking a balance between high design and budget, the owner was drawn to the holistic treatment of the space.

Honoree for Best Use of Natural Elements -  "Oasis" (University of Kentucky)

Scale, pattern, texture and light were layered to create a garden setting that provides a soothing atmosphere to tenants of the Atrium building. An intimate setting broke down the scale of the large space with sophisticated design strategies. The strong central water feature anchors the space, while natural stone and greenery add natural texture.

Honoree for Most Creative Use of LED Backlighting: "EBA Designs" (The Ohio State University)

The strong focal pull of GPI’s backlit stone panels was utilized in conjunction with the natural visual impact of the tall elevator. The staggered arrangement of the backlit stone panels creates a sense of movement and takes advantage of the verticality of the central atrium space. The design layout and surrounding finishes at the backlit panels make the features integral to the architecture (as opposed to mere decoration).

A special thank you to Dr. Terrence Uber for his assistance in orchestrating the competition!

Check out our Flickr album for some of the creative materials and technology that inspired the student designs >

Sculptural forms of translucent stretch fabric twist your loftiest design visions free from constraint. With lightweight properties, stretch fabric applications defy gravity and scale limitations. Large sleek expanses of material act as a blank canvas, producing sensational effects when illuminated or used as a projector screen to transmit images.

With an aesthetic that expresses impermanence and soaring freedom, stretch fabrics panels create a distinct spatial mood.  Imagine the potential for stretch fabric installations to function as key branding elements in your design! Check out this unique project:

The "E-Motion" light sculpture by architect Shashi Caan and lighting designer Matthew Tanteri crowns the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh.  Polyester-based fabric weave is PVC coated for both UV protection and flame resistance, with a 50% open weave that allows it to adapt to the daylight and nighttime lighting conditions.  Four high intensity discharge luminaires distributed around the base of the sculpture (and one at the center) create the multicolor lighting effects at night.  The lighting program is run with computers, and it has been rumored that the design might eventually allow public control over the colors of the light sculpture.

Wondering what the vague form of the sculpture is intended to represent? According to FTL Design Engineering Studio's website, the organic shape was derived from the "buildings round forms, which mimic nature's structurally efficient, curved shapes". The landmark "marks this intriguing point in history when art and science are being linked in new, evocative ways. The sculpture connects the science and art of color, light and form, illustrating how colors subliminally evoke moods and moods evoke emotions. It also alludes to the era of telecommunications, information and interaction".

Has the subsequent addition of the lettering squashed the artistic representation of the sculpture, becoming just another mass-distributed corporate logo? What do you think?

Image credit: Shashi Caan, CJRodkey