Woodworking and furniture design, in the past consisted of handcrafting techniques that required time and effort, various physical prototypes, experimentations, and excess materials.
Today, a shift in the design process and thinking has allowed every designer to utilize computational design tools and digital fabrication to execute comprehensive alterations to various design parameters. This is where Parametric furniture design provides an innovative, cost-effective, and efficient alternative to traditional furniture and woodworking design methods.
A switch in the technological advancement centred around algorithmic computing that enunciates parameters and rules to identify the relationship between design intent and design response according to the user’s needs.
We can create a realistic 3D model of any parametric furniture, parametric table, parametric chair, parametric desk, parametric wall, parametric ceiling, or any other design element and adjust specific parameters to test size, scale, component addition and subtraction, or alterations to any number of attempts until we reach the most suitable computational design output.
How to choose a suitable Parametric furniture
Every parametric piece of engineering is an amalgamation of intricacy, patience, hard work and creativity. It carries the fluidity, elegance, and functionality of a bespoke furniture.
Our initial prototypes are made to test the comfortability and anthropometry of furniture or parametric ceiling element. A smaller scale to test the design and detail. The start of the exploration remains a bit challenging, but until we reached to the final piece, along with digital fabrication, the pieces intensifies its relationship with the user.
How is it made?
Parametric furniture consists of evenly spaced rows, vertical or horizontal or stacks of shapes that create the illusion of large three-dimensional fluidic forms. Usually, these exacting shapes through a process called CNC routing and assembled in several ways. Stacks of parts are arranged together to form large laminations, evenly spaced shapes are held together with complex internal structures or drawn together with threaded rod and spacers.
- The first step is to build a model. Rhinoceros/Grasshopper 3D are the softwares used.
- The design model needs to be optimised and engineered to make it fit for fabrication.
- After that, individual parts are cut out of the sheet material. The process is robotic, elements are manufactured using high precision milling machines
- All parts are interconnected. It turns out furniture of complex geometric shapes
- The final stage is finishing, coating and transfer to the customer.
What are the different materials used to make parametric furniture?
Material Used: Birch Wood & MDP
Birch plywood has many characteristics that make it ideal for any parametric furniture. Its light colour and smooth texture are pleasing to those interested in aesthetic appeal, while the plywood’s strength and durability makes it easy for to create masterpieces.
Birch plywood can be treated or left untreated depending on a customer’s request or its usage. It can also be treated to make wood that is used for water-resistant interiors or waterproof exteriors. It can be sanded on both sides, one side, or left unsanded.
It is very light in colour, and as a smooth surface that is typically void of splinters or rough or jagged edges. This makes it perfect for constructing furniture and cabinets
MDP- MDP boards are made of wood fibres bonded by synthetic resin and compressed through pressure and heat, resulting in a solid and very uniform board with good finish and durability. Because the fibres are randomly oriented, CNC machine can cut them in any direction, delivering a smooth surface to the touch.
MDF boards is the next suitable material after Birch wood, as they are compatible with a number of different finishes including simple and lacquered paint, which could be very well matched with your interior space mood board. MDP, in comparison to Birch is more economical. Being compressed under higher pressure, these boards are more resistant, support more weight, and can cover larger extensions.
Material Used: Birch Wood & MDP
Birch plywood has many characteristics that make it ideal for any parametric furniture. Its light colour and smooth texture are pleasing to those interested in aesthetic appeal, while the plywood’s strength and durability makes it easy for to create masterpieces.
Birch plywood can be treated or left untreated depending on a customer’s request or its usage. It can also be treated to make wood that is used for water-resistant interiors or waterproof exteriors. It can be sanded on both sides, one side, or left unsanded.
It is very light in colour, and as a smooth surface that is typically void of splinters or rough or jagged edges. This makes it perfect for constructing furniture and cabinets
MDP- MDP boards are made of wood fibres bonded by synthetic resin and compressed through pressure and heat, resulting in a solid and very uniform board with good finish and durability. Because the fibres are randomly oriented, CNC machine can cut them in any direction, delivering a smooth surface to the touch.
MDF boards is the next suitable material after Birch wood, as they are compatible with a number of different finishes including simple and lacquered paint, which could be very well matched with your interior space mood board. MDP, in comparison to Birch is more economical. Being compressed under higher pressure, these boards are more resistant, support more weight, and can cover larger extensions.
Types of Parametric Furniture
When people refer to ‘parametric furniture’, oftentimes they are mistaking the style of the furniture with the process used to make it. Since many new furniture pieces, lamps, and architectural fixtures (such as the rippling wall fixture seen above) depend on the use of parametric design to create them, this new style has begun to almost create a second definition for the word ‘parametric’ itself. What, then, constitutes a ‘parametric’ style of furniture? There are several elements that tend to be common throughout most designs in this new category.
1. Organic
Nature-born. The most efficient and beautiful designs throughout the world all come from growing things. Honeycombs in beehives. The strength and simplicity of molecular bonds. The stalk of bamboo wood (which inspired Taiwan’s Taipei 101 – the tallest building in the world at the time it was finished). Aragonite Lamp – a lamp inspired by centrally located starting points of Aragonite crystal growth.
We artists, architects, and designers who use parametric tools love to take inspiration from shapes and patterns found in nature because these ancient designs have stood the ultimate test of time and survived.
One such design is the Para Chair, that received the Best design award in the year 2017 at SPA, Delhi.
2. Sectioned Pieces
Many designers who work in the parametric style are constantly looking for practical, dependable ways of bringing abstract shapes into reality. One of the most attractive qualities of parametric-style works is their innate ability to capture shapes that people aren’t used to seeing.
Maybe this is a bench designed to look like a shark, or a wall panel that ripples like an ocean’s surface. While not imperative to the parametric style, the most common solution to fabricating these polymorphic shapes is to use sectioned pieces of wood, acrylic, or other materials. To create these, designers often take advantage of two related tools – the laser cutter, and CNC router.
The organic caterpillar is a celebration of style that lives at peace with its own imperfections. Its made of plywood sections 18 mm thick, fastened together with iron rods, which are wound on the mounting bolts. This technology makes it relatively easy and cheap to do non-linear form. Also a big plus of this technology is that the sections of plywood form a pattern of lines on the general form making it more readable.
3. Created by 3D Printers
As a popular alternative to a ‘sectioned’ look, sometimes a 3D printer is enough to bring a product to life. Many designers within the spheres of parametric works have successfully brought pendant lamps and other pieces to the market using nothing more than a 3D printer and a few light bulbs. Designing like this can have its challenges, however. As compared to processes involving injection molding, 3D printing can be incredibly costly and time consuming.
Any object over 12 inches cubed is almost guaranteed to take at least 8 hours to finish printing, and the raw materials used in these machines can sometimes require very costly selling prices. On the other hand, 3D printed designs can open the door to a variety of complex shapes that simply couldn’t be manufactured any other way, which for many people helps to justify the higher prices these designs can cost.
3D printing has also opened the door to hundreds of new parametric designers having the ability to sell directly to market with new ideas, instead of having to wait weeks or months to get $10,000 injection molds made as designers in past decades have always done.
4. Geometrically Abstract
Many designs created parametrically imitate nature. However, many others defy any and all expectations entirely. Living in the digitally augmented age of the present day, the worlds of abstract mathematics and furniture begin to mold, fuse, and sometimes crash into each other in remarkable ways. Reality distorting patterns and shapes that could not be created before are not only possible now, but easy.
Types of Furniture:
Customized furniture
A custom-made Furniture, can be termed as movable objects supporting various human activities made specifically according to the user’s needs. Formforge is a team of architects and designers, whose forte has been to design and implement excellent parametric furnitures (e.g chairs, benches and sofas).
What gives a furniture the most value, however, along with its appearance is that an artist makes it specifically for a buyer. In short, the contemporary furniture sets are valuable because it is custom made, using digital processes by Formforge, made-to-order, adding an aesthetic appeal to the piece.
Contemporary Furniture
Art movements have played a major role in for defining artistic furniture. These timelines may include Renaissance, Cubism, Modernism, Minimalism, Art nouveau and many more. Introduction of design in industry in the 20th century broke the traditional norms of furniture and Industrialisation acted as a boon in the design industry which also led to the manufacturing of furniture with different materials such as sheet metal and engineered wood(Birch, MDP).
At its core, the word “contemporary” means “of the moment,” which makes this style particularly hard to define. Formforge borrows elements from many other aesthetics, a mixture of modernism and post- modernism, traditional, art deco and even futuristic design.
Contemporary style furniture is borrowed and adopted into Formforge’s way of designing, recognizably for its simple and sleek lines. Gives the range of items a very distinguishable and minimal look, free from intricate carvings but comparable to one. The lines of contemporary style furniture are hard-edged or gently curved and usually subtle in nature.
Furniture design is a part of product design and is considered a form of decorative art. In addition to furniture’s functional role, contemporary furniture serves always serves a purpose.
Artistic furniture
Furniture is usually considered part of the decorative arts, but the blurring of the line between the disciplines of art and design opens furniture to the art category,
Though this project looks more like an art installation than a functional furniture, the project is exactly what you would imagine to be kept in a space, a sculptural piece, it is mixing fashion and art with function.
Parametric architecture refers to a format of design which includes the philosophy to create a blend of technology and materiality. A category defines, the cross disciplinary aspect of architecture, art and computational design.
Art furniture designs are sophisticated and endless. Some of the art furniture type includes:
Parametric Accent chairs: The accent chair is a living room chair and is a category of various chair styles including the club chair, wingback bergère, Lawson, barrel, English rolled arm, slipper, and chesterfield chairs.
Parametric Armchairs: These are comfortable chairs for the living room or family room.
Parametric Recliner chair: This type of chair offers the option to recline back usually including an attached footrest that elevates so you can fully recline.
Parametric Reading chair: Another general chair term that includes many types of chairs – pretty much anything that makes for a good reading chair.
Parametric Bar stools: stools are not relegated to the home bar; they are very common in kitchens at islands as well. You will be interested to discover there are many types.
Parametric Bar tables: The term bar table can refer to several styles of tables, the most common of which are often seen in bars, pubs or even residences these days. These tables are usually quite tall and require tall bar stools in order to accommodate patrons.
Prametric Desk chair: so many homes have offices and therefore need a desk chair. These vary considerably, but most recline, swivel and are set on castors.
Parametric Reception Desk: The reception desks have been designed for corporate offices and for a hotel reception lobby.
Art Furniture- A mix of materials.
Neutral shades are the cornerstones of contemporary design. Furniture is a mix of materials or only with one material.
Birch wood acts as a dramatic, bold, and rich, with colours material, ranging from light yellow to deep brown with an androgynous appeal. This wood is suitable for dainty and feminine looking furniture, as well as robust and masculine pieces. Since it is versatile and, considering the market price of birch furniture in general, intrinsically valuable.
Our finishes can range in all tones, from very light to dark. The furniture shown below has a white Corian top fixed to it and stands on its flawless three legs made up of birch wood. Imagine it standing out amidst an office space or the lounge area of your private residence. The customisation of this art piece is limitless, functionally it could be used as a dining table, a bar table, a reception table and the list go on. The parametric wave is showcasing the flow of life. This charismatic curl reflects the ambience of every setting perfectly.