Katahdin Chair Designed and Built by John Turk and Stephen Turk
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| Computer Generated Katahdin Chair | Original Napkin Sketch |
Memory
The starting point for the conception of this chair was an intention to imbue a useful object with conceptual meaning. I wondered if perhaps a physically rigorous and startlingly beautiful hike experienced a number of years ago could serve as a viable point of reference. Of course this was unknown, but seemed like an interesting challenge.
My perception of Mount Katahdin had always been of a big, inert lump off in the horizon. I had dreams of camping at Baxter and scaling the mountain some day. That day arrived soon enough along with a change of perception of what happens when the human body encounters the demands of Katahdin.
I won’t verbalize my experience, but imagine others who’ve scaled the “Rock Slide” or teetered along “Knife’s Edge” have similar vivid memories.
Design - Conceptualization
If the design goal was to make an object evocative of this particular encounter, it was first important to collect a critical set of components that could serve to bridge the divide between idea and object. These included:
- Eroding Strata
- Physical Defiance
- Never Ending Incline (until it does end and becomes a threatening precipice).
- Gliding Descent
The choice of a chair was intuitive. A chair is a very personal piece of furniture that can be both a sculptural object and a vehicle of experience. My first crude sketch seemed to capture this poetic intent while perhaps not giving ergonometric consideration its due. Working towards the seating requirements of the human body was the next challenge.
I wanted to work with my brother who is an Architecture Professor at Ohio State University. He has access to sophisticated digital modeling technology and a model shop within his department. He also has previously made beautiful, laminated plywood furniture and constructs. The layering effect provided by this approach to fabrication would serve as the backbone of the most critical aesthetic component- the sense of eroding strata. With the basic aesthetic in place, it was time to join sculptural storytelling with ergonomic necessity by way of this technology.
Design – Fabrication
The Katahdin chair was digitally modeled using 3D Studio Max and Rhino NURBS (Non Uniform Rational B-Spline) modeling software. The surface geometry was produced using a lofting procedure reminiscent of techniques used in the boat building industry where spline cross-sections are “skinned” to produce a contiguous compound curvature. The resulting shell model unified the seat and back of the chair into one seamless cone-like surface that provided for a comfortable fit with the body. The legs were modeled using a similar system of curved spline elements.
This wooden prototype was produced using a cut templated system of laminated plywood segments staked to form the shell surface. These segments were digitally produced using incremental sections of the NURBS model cut from ½ inch birch plywood sheets. The segment parts were “nested” unto the plywood sheets to reduce waste and cut using an automated CNC (computer numerically controlled) 3-Axis router. The segments were then cut out of the template sheets and glue laminated using a gravity weighting process. The resulting barrel-like construction was sanded to smooth the incremental steps left from the flat template elements. The legs were cut from the same plywood templates and laminated in a similar fashion and were attached to the body using a simple screwed connection. [The final chair was finished with five coats of sander sealer and lacquer].
The templating system used in this process results in the production of intricate patterned screened elements as a result of the removal of the nested segment pieces out of the flat sheet. These patterned plywood templates are considered part of the chair design and are intended to be an integral part of the production process. Thus conceptually very little waste is generated from the cut plywood system.
John Turk
Stephen Turk
1 September 2006
John Turk, A.I.A.
Turk Tracey & Larry
Firm Profile
ttl-architects is an architecture and historic preservation firm specializing in new construction within historic settings; rehabilitation and restoration of historic structures; and historic research including surveys, National Register nominations and Historic Structure Reports. Since its inception in 1998 the firm has worked on a variety of projects throughout New England including prominent cultural, civic, religious, funerary, and residential structures. Our work has received awards from the Maine Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and from the National Trust for Historic Preservation.