Arrowstreet is currently designing a unique private residence in India – a Georgian-style estate with some traditional Indian motifs incorporated. At the same time, we’re experimenting with in-office 3-D printing. What better way to combine these two things, we asked ourselves, than by 3-D printing some interesting details of the residence?
One of the details we’re particularly proud of is the ornamental balcony railings depicting the traditional Indian themes of a peacock and a banyan tree. We had converted these images into a railing design, which we modeled in Sketchup; using that model, we were able to slice off the corner and flat details we were interested in and arrange them on a grid for printing at two different scales.
Printing the corner pieces led us to an interesting discovery – while the 3-D printer gives excellent detail when printing flat, the side that was turned on end printed with a “cobwebby” look due to the process of how the plastic is extracted. The next time we’re in a similar print situation, we’ll print both pieces flat and assemble them post-printing with good old-fashioned glue.
Despite this minor misprint, we’re very much pleased with the functionality that 3-D printing is bringing to our design project. When we next meet with our client, they’ll be able to hold these pieces in their hands and observe the pattern of light and shadow – helping them visualize how that same pattern will fall in their beautiful home.
Topics: Residential