Universal Table Generator

red dot
red dot award: design concept 2007

design:
Timothy Schrieber		Sean Hanna

Sophisticated algorithmic calculations define the form of this customisable table, which mixes sinewy organic lines with mass production techniques.

Mass customisation has become one of the most promising and exciting themes in the contemporary design and manufacturing debate in recent years. The promise of individually manufactured products to suit the particular needs of a unique user is ever more present as rapid prototyping and material developments continue to advance. Two barriers remain to the wider public, however. The first is the complexity of the process of mass customisation – the bewildering array of decisions to be made, and the interface, which often requires teams of designers and technicians to operate complex 3D software as an interface between the requests of the client and ‘ready to manufacture’ 3D data. The second is the lack of a custom fabrication process that can compete with traditional mass production in terms of cost and material range.

Universal Table Generator addresses these issues. It is based on a self-similar modular geometry and organic growth algorithms. The user can easily generate highly complex table structures simply by specifying functional constraints such as overall desired shape. The program generates a structure from a family of varied modular branches that are economically fabricated by conventional methods, yet combine to allow an endless variety of permutations within the given constraints. The sinewy, organic lines of each element are the result of a structural optimisation algorithm that shapes each branch to efficiently support its load with a minimum of material.

The interface
The shape and size of the table surface is easily modified by the user via an intuitive ‘paintbrush’ interface to create a unique and customised form. As each change is made, the support structure reacts to the new loading conditions as the optimisation algorithm updates the ideal form and placement of branching members to bridge between the floor and table surface. The complexities of this are hidden in the interface so that only the apparently organic growth is evident, and the user need only be concerned with actively specifying the overall shape. The area in which supports may rest is updated in real time, but may also be modified by the same interface within constraints given by balance and structural requirements.