Games Com

For Gamescom 2009 Nicholas Alexander co-created and built a groundbreaking stand for Bethseda Software.

The brief was to recreate Bethesda’s game, Brink, in the real world. Nicholas Alexander devised a three dimensional environment inspired by the two key aspects of the game: a dystopian container city and a utopian floating island. Thus visitors could preview the game and experience it three dimensionally and leave the stand feeling as though they have lived the game.

We worked closely with Root design studio to develop a layout with real functionality. It included two screening rooms, a game demo area and a fully immersive 360 degree cinema. And in the middle of it all, a peaceful, utopian floating island featuring projected footage from within the game and a large sculpture of the game’s iconic tower.

All the elements were created from scratch, from raw materials, and to a class 1 fire resistance. The entire project was delivered in 8 weeks from concept to opening in Cologne, thus proving that a tight deadline doesn’t have to limit your creativity!

Sony T5

We were approached in 2010 by PD3 to take a project for Sony from its preliminary stages to completion. There was already an agreed structural design that had been submitted to the airport operator, in this case BAA. Our role was to deliver the project as per the visual plan, and fulfil all of BAA’s stringent technical demands, and fit the whole object through a security scanner!

We rationalised the existing project plans, and produced our own construction plans which were submitted and agreed to by BAA. At all points we also needed to consider the requirements of Sony, and deliver a high quality object in a very short lead time.

Despite some teething problems with the incumbent logistical company at the airport, we worked through the night over a period of two weeks to complete the installation.

PD3 had produced an innovative 360 degree immersive film that we showed on Sony hardware in the centre of the stand. We also included space for product display, a projection onto the ceiling, and a constantly moving spiral of coloured light.

This was a project that required extremely close collaboration on all elements, and throughout the process we pushed the boundaries of material supply chains, on-site installation processes, and put a large and structurally difficult object in one of the most controlled environments in the country – Heathrow’s terminal 5.

Modern Pantry

The Modern Pantry is a restaurant in Clerkenwell occupying a converted Georgian townhouse. For this project we worked with Jump Studios on a range of tables and vanity units. In keeping with the setting we worked in solid timber using traditional techniques, as well as some more contemporary designs.

For the smaller tables in the main restaurant space, we laser etched motifs of Georgian kitchen equipment into the surface of the Himacs solid surface tops. These were then in-filled with acrylic colours to increase the contrast of the designs, and mounted on hand-turned pedestal bases with cast aluminium lower sections.

Also in the main space we created a 4.8m long refectory table, with large hand-turned timber legs and a top tiled in an intricate pattern of constructional ash veneers. This allows for communal dining, and provides a focal point for the space.

Throughout the other areas of the restaurant we produced a range of bespoke solid ash tables, with cnc machined cabriole legs. It’s this mix of traditional materials and modern production techniques that best represented Jump’s vision for the whole building.

Converse Event

We were approached by the designers at Brinkworth to look at a possible modular exhibition stand. The idea was to take a unique printer to some summer music festivals in London to print custom designs onto Converse products.

Within the project we produced a range of bespoke furniture, later exhibited at the THEN_NOW show at the Aram store.

The main structure was clad in a system based on press-wood pallets, with a framework of scaffolding and polycarbonate shade structure with printed graphics.

The end result was a space for festival-goers to relax in and to explore and modify Converse products.

3D Carvings

These are a series of ongoing projects experimenting with carving complex geometries using our CNC router.