SC380 was realized as a prototype by utilized high end, low end and even origami share wares software packages to develop the highly precise 3d models, Unfolded 2d CAD drawings and ultimately the CNC knife cut sample parts made by a local box making company in Southern California.

Although today many of the software packages incorporate many if not all the functionalities necessary to produce such a complex set of components 5 years ago this was not the case. As with many of our projects the resultant chair is more consequence of a study of a set of relationships than intended to be a discrete or refined design object.

Initially we intention to consider a small run production of such a chair that could be mailed as its own box and act as a 3d advertisement and public relations mailer for HPI’s design development expertise logistical issues including cubic freights costs, “no bid” responses form tool makers due to the complexity of the cutting dies we would have needed and most importantly the overwhelming bids on assembling costs brought an early end to the inquiry after the production of two prototypes.

In 2004 the reSeat Collection debuted at the International Contemporary Furniture Fair, this we saw as an entrepreneurial test of our design and material concept. The initial product line is still in produced, marketed and sold direct by HPI. It is comprised of a hand finished molded wood fiber component produced in the United States and finished in Guatemala and a Stainless Steel base currently also produced in the US or Guatemala depending on the size of the order. From concept, though prototyping, public relations, marketing and sales Jonas has been personally involved in the all aspects of the project. Although the current line is marketed responsibly as a green product made from other wise low valued pulpwood tree’s it has always been our intention to diversify our offerings by incorporate the use of urban waste streams, agricultural byproducts and native renewable plants into their production.

As HPI collaborated with the artist it became clear that the project was ultimately driven by cost. How ever Zittel’s idea called for a design that even after exhausting value engineering was too costly for the museums budget, so HPI negotiated for one of the pieces in the addition. This gave Hauptman an interesting stake in project in both artistic and economic manner. Because to own one Hauptman would agreed to further collaboration through customization the piece he would than own. Of course the value of the piece of art traded on its original origin as Andrea’s expression however as a designer trained as an artist Hauptman felt it necessary that the customization speak his role- not simply a mute craftsperson–but rather an active designer.

The work traded on issues of identity, acting as a critical reproduction in conversation with the original objects. The new version was an axonometric explosion of the given components. The exploded form was enclosed through adding custom shaped polygon frame and infill panels one at a time. The resultant form provided opportunities for increased functionality with in the already quasi functional piece of Art. A porch stoop, a second sleeping area, additional storage, a custom made wood stove, a writing desk, windows and a skylight answered the opportunities presented by the larger spatial volume.

In 2006 this collaborative work was incorporated into Zittel’s solo exhibition at the Whitney Museum. The title of the show was “Small Liberties.”

The experience was SCIarc’s first exploration into digital fabrication with its than newly acquired router. Although the course did not solely focus on using CNC as a method for design generation it was relevant through out the course having modest affect on design, prototyping and construction. A full-scale working design project served as the means to exploring CAD-CAM, the properties of material, surface, assemblies, structure and kinetics. Students worked in groups of 3 on particular design projects of their choosing that where integral to the overall design of the garden.

My design mandate to the students was to create a hundred year house. Our consequent design resembled the futuristic designs of early modernism. The design’s timelessness trades on an aesthetic deliberately never quite in or out of fashion. Styled as a consumer product to appeal to what market strategists call “early adoption consumers,” we chose aluminum for its workability, durability, and low maintenance as well as for its historical association with the American entrepreneurial spirit. Taking a cue from Michigan’s long association with automobile production, we collaborated with Ed Scutchfied, a metal shaper who typically builds concept cars for the auto industry and show car enthusiasts. Our building is based on an automobile monocoque with the aluminum skin and structure integrated for economy in material and for facility in hypothetical line production.

Designed as a manufacturing prototype, the eight hundred square foot MiSo* house immediately answered the Solar Decathlon contest rules for maximum size, but remains responsive to consumers through its adaptable nature, based on reconfiguration or inclusion of additional modules. Housed on separate trailers, the building modules unbolt and can be driven on the highway without special permits or licenses. In this way we answered our own charge for an economic and responsible design.