Industrial designer Jonathan Olivares teamed up with architectural fabricator A. Zahner Co. to launch Aluminum Bench for ShopFloor—an online tool that allows users to configure furniture to fit their needs. Up until now, apps for the platform were limited to creating architectural forms, but the new component will finally tackle furniture. First up? The humble seat.
The bench that made its debut at Chicago’s Volume gallery last week is a chameleon in both size and shape. Using the 3-D modeling system, users can dictate the length of the bench as well as the curve of each aluminum segment, allowing for elongated squiggle designs or a conversation-encouraging circle.
Of course, Olivares notes, people’s initial reaction is to go a bit wild. “At the opening and beta testing, people were creating 200-foot crazy curved benches,” he says. “But the app really works when there are actual live constraints involved. Let’s say you have a 25-foot-by-17-foot space, and you need to create a bench for it.” This time, you can leave the tape measure at home.
For more information visit shopfloorapp.com or wvvolumes.com.
