The Octahedron | LMNTechStudio

LMNTechStudio (LMNts) approached the committee in charge of the Seattle Design Festival and asked to contribute a piece to the weekend-long event. At the time, they didn’t know what it would be, but in the end, they provided The Octahedron, an experimental interactive pavilion

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It is clad with 400 triangular MDF panels held together by the friction caused by the assembly process. The panels are black on one side to provide a ‘canvas’ for the festival-goers to draw on with chalk, and the blue side is scored with a CNC cutter to a pattern designed by coworkers within the office.

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What interests me most about the project is that it was designed by ‘coworkers as part of an internal technology training exercise,’ and so everyone contributed. It was educational to not only the firm but also the festival goers. Aside from providing a canvas for them to draw on, ‘laser-cut miniature triangular base units were provided for festival-goers to assemble and gain an insight into the construction of the Octahedron.’

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I especially like how they’ve come up with a system of parts: panels, bracing members, and a joint where bracing members meet. This allows for variation within the parameters of this system. Subtraction of a panel creates an aperture. The system itself has spatial capabilities, so that the ‘pavilion’ isn’t static and simply sculptural but rather spatial and interactive.

Courtesy of © LMNTechStudio

In the fast-paced world today, it’s comforting to see that designers are stepping outside of their offices to take the time to involve the public in their work. The experience goes both ways too, the public would learn about the design, and the firm will learn from the interaction.