PRODUCE.WORKSHOPPteLtdisaPrivateLimitedCompanyregisteredwiththeAccountingandCorporateRegulatoryAuthority,SingaporeCompanyNumber201304906R

XTRA’sHermanMillerShop-in-Shop:–FabricwoodThenewHermanMillerShop-in-ShopatXTRA’snewflagshipstoreatMarinaSquare,Singapore,isamassiveandintriguingstructure.Occupyinga20mlongby7mwidespace,thecontinuoussurfacestretchesacrosstheentiresitelikeasailoftensilefabric,leadingtheviewerfromthelow3mentrancetothelofty8mglasscurtainwallattheotherend.Andyet,thisstructureismadeofplywood!Itislightweightandfeaturesverylittleframework,andissymmetricalandtakesontheproportionsoftheiconiccurvesoftheHermanMillerlogo.Theminimalsurface,whichremindsoneofGermanarchitectandstructuralengineerFreiOtto’ssoapfilmexperiments,containsaseriesofarchesthatframetheentrancesandconnectionstotherestofXTRA,thestreetandtheadjacentcafé.PanYicheng,DesignDirectorofPRODUCEWORKSHOPandthedesignerofthespace,hascoinedit“Fabricwood”.

UnderstandingFabricwoodBeing an established multi-brand furniture retailer in Singapore, the idea of a Shop-in-Shop is aresponsetoXTRA’sdesiretoshowcaseacomprehensiverangeofHermanMillerproductsinaspacewith“flagship”capacity.

PRODUCE

PRODUCE.WORKSHOPPteLtdisaPrivateLimitedCompanyregisteredwiththeAccountingandCorporateRegulatoryAuthority,SingaporeCompanyNumber201304906R

After researching into HermanMiller’smain product range, chairs, Pan found inspiration in theirstructuralandmaterialinnovation–theuseofmouldedplywoodproduceslightandelegantfurniture;andtheirstudyofcomfortandergonomicsintheirworkchairsresultedinanelasticmeshmaterialthatisstretchedatthebackofthechairtocreateadoublycurved,framelesssuspendedsurface,thatsupportsafullrangeofseatingpostures.To reflect the HermanMiller image, the lightness andwarmth of the plywoodmaterial with thegeometricrigorandtechnologicalinnovationsoftheworkchairshavebeencombined.Andlearningfromthekeyproductsandtheirdesignprocesses (whichcombines formal,structuralandmaterialinnovation),thesolutionseekstodevelopasoftandporous“skin”fortheHermanMillerShop-in-Shopthatis“moulded”toitshost.This isPan’s secondeffort at anXTRA’sHermanMiller Shop-in-Shop. The formerVersion01wasexecuted for thepreviousXTRAParkMall flagshipstore in2012whenPanwasDesignDirectorofP.A.C,andthedesignwontheprestigiousWorldArchitectureFestivalretailcategoryawardfor2012.While Version 01 was shaped using a mesh geometry which stitched together an array ofdifferentiatedtriangularplywoodpanels,Version02shapestheplywoodusingatailoringtechniquecalleddarting–whichismoredemandingtoconceptualiseandprototype.Originallyusedforshapingfabrictofitthehumanbody,Panexportedthistechniqueontoplywood.Thedartsandtheirrespectiveanglesonaflatpieceofplywooddeterminetheeventualcurvaturewhenclosed.Circularcut-outsareusedattheconvergingpointofthedartstoallowtheplywoodtobendandavoidtears.Whenassembled,thestructureformsanaturallyundulatedsurfacemuchliketheruchingoffabric.Themostchallengingpartoftheprojecthasbeenthetranslationfromflatpatterndrawingtothree-dimensional modelling and vice versa. A combination of computer simulation (with newcomputational techniques) and physical modelling helped to achieve the desired curvature. Theelasticityoftheplywoodplayedamajorfactorintheshapingoftheskin,andthedartangleshadtobere-calibratedtoaccommodateanychangesinthetypeoftheplywoodmaterial.Compared with conventional design and construction techniques, this component-based designprocessdemandsgreatercontinuityandsimultaneousplanningacrossallstagesoftheproject.Like the Version 01 grid shell structure, the new Fabricwood structure pushes the boundaries ofplywoodconstruction. This isaprojectthatisnotjustaboutthecompletedstructurebutalsotheentireexperimentalprocesstoarriveatit.

PRODUCE.WORKSHOPPteLtdisaPrivateLimitedCompanyregisteredwiththeAccountingandCorporateRegulatoryAuthority,SingaporeCompanyNumber201304906R

Theripplingonthesurfaceincreasestheappearanceof“softness”oftheplywoodmakingitappearlikeastagnantmomentofasailcaughtinthewind.

Thedartson the flatpanelsare first “stitched”closedusingcable ties. Maleand femalewoodendowelledpropsarethenattachedontothefrontandrearpanelsrespectively. Thefrontandrearpanels are then attached together forming a doubled layeredmodule, and themodules are thenrivetedtogetherandattachedtothearchedframes.Theresultisafabric-likesurfacethatappearstobecasuallypulledacrosstheentire8mvolume.

PRODUCE.WORKSHOPPteLtdisaPrivateLimitedCompanyregisteredwiththeAccountingandCorporateRegulatoryAuthority,SingaporeCompanyNumber201304906R

Thecircularcut-outs,whichallowfortoleranceonthesurface,aresignatureofthismaterialsystem.Alongwiththecabletiesandrivets,thesefeaturesexpressalmostintuitivelythemechanicalworkingsofthesystem.

ComparedwiththeVersion01gridshell,thispioneeringtechniqueoftailoringplywoodallowsustoformalargersurfacewithdrasticallymuchlowernumberofmodules:inthisinstance280panelsascomparedto4,000panelsinVersion01.TheinstallationoftheFabricwoodpanelisalsocomparativelymuchsimplerandcanbeaccomplishedbyunskilledlabour.

PRODUCE.WORKSHOPPteLtdisaPrivateLimitedCompanyregisteredwiththeAccountingandCorporateRegulatoryAuthority,SingaporeCompanyNumber201304906R

BACKGROUND–XTRA’sHermanMillerShop-in-ShopVersion01Insteadofmouldingplywoodonalargescale,Version01oftheHermanMillerShop-in-Shopwasalightweight plywood grid shell structure formed simply by piecing together a series ofmodulatedplywoodpanels.Designing the entire skin out of a kit of parts, demanded a certain ease in assembly. A specialinterlockinglapjointwasdesignedtoattachmodularpanelstogethertoformalargersurface.Thejointswere laidovera triangulargridwhichdeterminedthegeometrical relationshipbetweenthepanels.Thefinalmodular3-leggedtriangularpanelswere“stitched”togetherwithaslightrotatingmotion.JustastheHermanMillerworkchairsweredesignedtoadapttoourposturesandmovements,theskinwasmouldedtoadapttoexistingstructuresandcustomermovementpatterns.Twocontinuoussurfacesnegotiatedexisting columns to form the façade,walls, ceiling and frame theentrances–invitingcustomersintothestoreandguidingthemthroughtheexperience.The components of the triangular grid shellwere then appliedon thesebase surfaces, and 3,651panelsare“stitched”togetherformingtherigid,wovendouble-layeredenvelope.Version01wasexecutedforthepreviousXTRAParkMallflagshipstorein2012whenPanwasDesignDirectorofP.A.C.ThedesignwontheprestigiousWorldArchitectureFestivalretailcategoryawardin2012.ParkMallclosedinSeptember2016fordemolitionandredevelopment.