Simple... Self supporting...

This experiment by Steven Holl Architects  in collaboration with Albefex is quite interesting and simple... Using CNC techniques they have created a flat pack form which can be used as furniture (top image) or can be adapted for structural use (bottom image). By having a flat back panel and a rectangular base and top it can support itself.

I can just never forget...

This design for a Reebok pop up shop (2008), FLASH by formavision, in New York is an interior that has always stuck in my mind... I love the boldness and energy which the design reflects through use of colour and angular shapes.

Taking a step back...

Feeling like I am designing 3 different projects as I am using different shapes, representing each collection, for each section of the pop up shop... Whilst trying to design the whole structure so it is self supporting seems like a task too large for the timescale, and budget of the project. So I have looked back at simple pop up shops which could be more feasible...

One example I came across was the Hemmingway KiosKisok project (www.kioskiosk.co.uk)which is a type of pop up shop/market stall which designers can apply to use for free.

I have been trying to design a more complex shape... an entire new structure to make the pop up shop more interesting. However I do think that keeping the design more simple like this pop up shop/independent market stall by Hemmingway can be just as impressive and effective. The actual design of this is very simple in terms of its exterior and interior as many different designers will use this so the design needs to suit all kinds. As I am designing a pop up shop for one designer I can add a little more character and make the design more personal and specific to Liannas style.

Maybe the pop up shop could be based on the simple form of a market stall where there are 3 'walls' with an overhead shelter, leaving the front completely open so all products are on display without a whole enclosed structure concealing them... I still want this to be easily constructed and folded away for transportation... I would also like the design to be easily adapted to be located within a rented, interior, space for when Liannas fashion collections grow and more space is required. This adaptation could be quite simple such as using vinyl shapes for the window and disconnecting parts of the 'mini' pop up shop so there can be 3 clusters arranged within the space so that it doesn't just look like a glorified market stall sitting within a space...

Play with Shapes...

I have been focusing mostly on the design of the the triangular Modu_gram section of the pop up shop so I have decided to move onto the Play with Shapes collection... I have started to draw in elevation so I can decide on the angles and shape combinations you would see if standing in the space, before moving into a 3D model where I can then experiment which shapes I will create 3D elements for and which shape I will have at a slope etc.

Zips and umberellas...

The method of zipping to keep a structure together has been used before! Kengo Kuma created 'umbrella house' using umbrellas and zips... I would like the pop up shop to have more rigidity than this so maybe adding polypropylene to it could help strengthen the structure.

Folding objects...

I have been thinking about objects and structures that fold and easily open and close which I could adapt for the structure of the pop up shop...

I may have to merge a few of these methods together to achieve a complete folding structure but I don't want to the design to get too complex so I may try to see if only one method could be used to keep it simple.

Back to paper...

Whilst creating the form with black wool I began to get quite interested by it as my mind began to imagine some triangular planes being solid and some hollow where garments could hang from. I created a paper model of this to see where it would take me...

I gradually unfolded the form. When the model was fully unfolded I thought the octagonal shape was visually interesting so I increased the scale of this using foamboard to see how it could work for part of the pop up shops structure. It required quite a lot of structural support from tape attached to the wall. However if this unit was joined to the whole form of the pop up shop then maybe the balance and stability would increase...

Realistic...

With the need to get an actual feel for the scale and size of the pop up shop I have taken up a corner of the studio in which I have set out a 3mx3m square in which the shop must fit in to.

When experimenting with paper models it was difficult to grasp how large each section of the structure should be in order for it to be folded down easily by one person. To get an idea of how large each section of the structure should be for it to be manageable I set a height of 2m and used thick black wool to create an improvised form using triangles. The result was that each section should be around 1m high for a person to be able to fold and open the shops structure.

Triangle meets square... Meets semi-circle...

Subtracting the square (with the added triangle) from the main triangle I added a long rectangular piece. This piece was too long to make the Play with Shapes section of the structure and cut this down to a square. As Lianna also uses circles as part of her designs in this collection I added a semi-circle to the net of the model.

Manipulating the new shapes into a new form resulted in some problems which I have indicated with purple lines on the first image below. Adding the square caused new tensions with the rest of the form which resulted in one of the edges bending. Another problem was that there was a straight line leading from the triangular base through the new semi-circle piece. I am aiming to create irregular angles and disrupted lines within the form which meant that this continuous line through two shapes was against my aim.



I amended the net of the form to solve these problems (see second image below). The form is becoming more interesting, I am intrigued as to how the various shapes will flow into one another. I will continue to experiment as it still has a long way to go!

Triangle...

I began to concentrate on the triangle. I made a smaller, more manageable, triangle to see how it could be used to make part of the structure to represent the Modu_gram collection.

Keeping in mind that I wanted the Play with Shapes collection to be partly represented by a square, and that I want each section within the pop up shop to flow into each other, a square within this model seemed to be a perfect place to begin the merging of shapes.

Folding shape...

I have repeated the shapes representing each collection so that a larger shape is made up of smaller units of itself. I am keeping this exploration quite simple to start with. So I have used triangles to make up a large triangle, squares to make up a larger square and both triangles and squares to make the octagon. It is important that the design of the pop up shop can fold into a manageable shape for easy transportation. These shapes can all easily be folded into one square.


Next I will experiment to see which forms can be created with these shapes...

OCULAR_

MODU_GRAM and PLAY WITH SHAPES are both 3D based. However as OCULAR_ focuses on a flat objects having a visual illusion of being 3D I may try to make this section of the pop up shop 2D but arrange the 2D elements so that they have a 3D effect when stood at a distance to reflect this collection. This may include some laser cut patterns into panels and some transparent coloured inserts...

Collections link...

Lianna would like to use pieces from her Modu_gram, Play with Shapes and Ocular_ collections in the pop up shop. I have realised that each collection could be represented by a shape.

MODU_GRAM 'Mathematical models, fractional forms, simple folds and origami.' = TRIANGLE

OCULAR_ 'laser cut, laser etched jewellery, all based around optical illusions-flat object has visual illusion of being 3D.' = OCTAGON. 

PLAY WITH SHAPES_ 'simple geometric shapes, square, rectangle and circle, focus on a bold silhouette.' = SQUARE and RECTANGLE merged with CIRCLE

Where to begin...

I began experimenting with triangles or various size as they can easily be folded into interesting dynamic shapes. I arranged them so that all edges met the size of the joining edge for a clean line in the fold [1]. Then folded to see which form would be created [2+3].

[1]

[2]

[3]

The form which was created had something missing... It didn't have any link or relation to the work that Lianna does. This lack of meaning and lack of connection with her work resulted in me moving on to find something in Liannas work which I could base the design on...