Perplex is a collection of 4 furniture pieces and are the result of a 2 year exploration of a new manufacturing process - a process that connects metal to any other material to enable new capabilities.

Fig40 partnered with GRIP Metal to develop a collection of furniture pieces developed using a new manufacturing methodology. The collection will be featured at IDS16 in Toronto in January 2016.

GRIP Metal, at the bench's core, is a consistently shaped field of hooks formed onto ultra-thin gauge metal forms. Like a metallic Velcro, it can be pressed, moulded, or cast to create a bond that is mechanical and continuous, strengthening hundreds of times per inch.

GRIP Metal can also reduce the energy required in product systems: reducing the weight of products results in more efficient construction and transport, and the lack of adhesives makes it easier to separate and recycle materials at the end of a product's life-cycle.

Fig40's GRIP Metal-based furniture collection will be featured as part of the Maker section of the InteriorDesignShow. The collection includes a 14' concrete bench as well as concrete stools, tables and shelving units.

This collection demonstrates Fig40's passion for exploring innovative tools and new technologies in order to create compelling and relevant objects.

Design Team

Lee Fletcher, Terry Woodside, Mark Lavelle, Montu Khokhar, Nghi Pham, Khai Foo

Perplex includes a 14' concrete bench, a stool, shelving unit and concrete table.

The bench is a hollow composite structure that casts ductal (a high performance concrete) around a steel box of GRIP Metal. The relationship between the concrete and the GRIP Metal gives the concrete tensile strength, something it is traditionally not good at. This then enables a huge span with a structure only 3 1/2" thick.

The stool is a steel tube frame supporting a thin composite seat made from 2 layers of GRIP Metal aluminum sandwiching a 6mm thick piece of polypropylene. The combination of these materials creates a very strong structure, but also one that is compliant—a functional benefit on the seat of a chair.

The table uses GRIP Metal in 2 ways. This first is in the concrete top. This 3/4" thick top of traditional concrete is possible due to the GRIP Metal plates in the centre of the part. This approach was discovered through early trials on the bench, and has been refined for use here. The second use is in the legs. By creating a 3 ply construction of wood sandwiching GRIP Metal, the GRIP Metal adds stiffness to the leg and allows them to be made hollow to allow for cables to pass through. The cable in this case powers a wireless charging device for phones that is embedded in the tray punctuating the top of the table.

The shelves are a very simple exploration of long thin spans. Using GRIP Metal as a tension member on the underside of a surface introduces significant strength to an otherwise flexible part. These shelves are 3/4"thick and enable a span of 8'.

This collection demonstrates Fig40's passion for exploring innovative tools and new technologies in order to create compelling and relevant objects.

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