We started this 3rd year studio project by doing an intensive study on a specific material that wouldn’t regularly be seen in design and finding unconventional ways to join this material together. My study was on foam pipe insulation joined together with an articulate wire system. The goal of this investigation was to discover a cheap and sustainable way of creating a functional space for our client. The client was an organization in Knoxville, TN called Centro Hispano that was looking to move their office into the third floor of the United Central Methodist Church, also in Knoxville. The space I imagined with the use of wire and foam pipe insulation serves as a group assembly space, something that Centro Hispano deeply values. Throughout this system, there are benches, booths and tables, and shelving. The hollow tubes also give the ability to hide wire to incorporate lighting or charging ports. The foam material helps absorb sound which allows for more private conversations within the group space. Overall, foam pipe insulation can be a sustainable solution to the problems Centro Hispano was looking to solve.
