When we were first approached by du Pont / Corian to design a transportable exhibition pavilion for them, we were quite intrigued by the design direction which the company was taking; “We’re not just countertops any more!” A sharp break from their functionalist past.
Our experimentation into the material’s potential evolved within two distinct areas: 1) Being a sheet good, Corian can be manipulated and formed into countless morphologies. 2) Thin profiles of Corian become translucent and transcend this typically banal material into a sexy gossamer skin.
These investigations began to have a strong relationship with the bent plywood works of Aalto; the cad/cam work being done locally for Gehry’s EMP; origami, and a slew of other fractured, shattered and twisted models. The fabricators, whom have tooled corian for years; are fascinated and anxious to test the possibilities of their craft.



PROJECT: dupont/corian.pavilion, 1999
LOCATION: transportable
SIZE: double 10'x10' square
CLIENT: c.a.newell.company.inc.
COST: $63,000.
CONSTRUCTION: therma-formed and heat-welded corian sheet with modular assemblage.