[WIDE]BAND

Grand Opening.

Project Details

• Project Name: [WIDE]BAND
• Client: Interior Design NeoCon West and A+D Museum in Los Angeles
• Project Type: Installation
• Principal Designer/s: Margaret Griffin & John Enright; Project Architect: Taka Mieno
• Project Team: Ray Shapiro & Mathew Gillis
• Contractors: Tom Hinerfeld & Peter Borego, Hinerfeld & Ward Inc.
• Date of commencement of project: March 2006
• Date of completion of project: June 2006
• Location of site: Various/Los Angeles, USA
• Built-up Area: 600 sq. ft.
• Cost of Construction/Execution: $90000

Entrance.

Words from the architect

[WIDE]BAND - a Nomadic Cafe / Club

[WIDE]BAND is a 600-square foot, portable project with the flexibility to accommodate a multiplicity of functions (more or less the architectural equivalent of a hermit crab shell). Originally designed as an installation for NeoCon West, it has since been moved to the A + D Museum in Los Angeles where it can function as a cafe by day and as a bar/lounge space at night without altering the configuration. During an event held by the A + D Museum for the AIA National Conference in June, it was used as a venue for book signings.

Inside Detail.

The commission resulted from a competition sponsored by Interior Design magazine and NeoCon West to showcase an unusual mix of products by using unique approaches. Taking the brief one step further, we created a functional group gathering space for conference attendees to check email, sit and talk, or get a momentary respite. The name, [WIDE]BAND, alludes to the physical loop formed by the surfaces and to the broadband technology supporting the wireless Internet access provided.

Interior Detail.

The primary material, orange, 3/4" polycarbonate core panels (Pep) manufactured by 3Form, was chosen for its structural capacity to span large spaces and for its translucency, allowing the structure to be exceptionally thin and light. The panels are supported only by a skeleton of 11/2" steel; in some places extending beyond the frame. Walls, floor, and ceiling are shaped by wrapping the panels in a continuous loop, culminating in the long table that then loops back, becoming an obstacle in the center of the room directing movement around and through the semi-transparent landscape. Physically, the table bisects the space, while at the same time it becomes a nexus for engagement, promoting the interaction of users with each other as they negotiate the space.

Flooring.

In addition to the polycarbonate core panels, we used a 3/4" eco-resin (Ting Ting) and ceramic tiles with a 1/2" offset, circular, raised projection in each. The mustard-colored tiles were placed randomly on the floor to generate a three-dimensional landscape, highlighting a visual connection to the circular structure of the Pep panels. At the front, three slumped-glass panels suspended on tension wire provide a distorted interior view. Nine-foot tall graphics on the wall spelling out [WIDE]BAND in skewed italics are revealed by painting the negative, interstitial spaces a light gray. The graphics form a visual backdrop to the looped landscape and are rendered visible only by their interaction with the loop.

Computer Lounge.

The surface, lit from varying distances, glows in colors ranging from yellow to orange to red and ruby. Even in daylight, the translucent material yields different shades of orange. As the color travels along the loop, it creates an exaggerated, ambiguous sense of depth. The juxtaposition and integration of lighting, super-graphics and tiles with the panels animates the space with a sense of constant motion, energy and vitality. Shifting, uneven floor planes and changing table heights intensify this feeling.

Production Unfold.

Credits

• Text: Margaret Griffin & John Enright
• Photographs: Benny Chan, Fotoworks; Robert Paz