subject: 3d Engraving And Architecture [print this page] 3D engraving is a new tool for artistic creativity. You start with a block of crystal and a software tool that takes a series of external image files and defines a tool path for the execution of the image without surface modification. A computer graphic of a 3D image becomes a solid material using the advanced laser engraving machine and special crystal. Each object takes between several minutes and an hour depending on the size and complexity of the design. But where do designers get their ideas? Here are some suggestions for a series of 3D engravings based on the great architectural tradition in the UK.
Millenium Dome
Designed by the Richard Rogers Partnership and the engineer Buro Happold, this project cost 45 million. It was a political disaster and was criticised for looking like a giant jellyfish on the banks of the River Thames. However, its magnitude and iconic appearance make it a construction to be admired. Designers would be able to engrave their own masterpiece on a smaller scale using the Dome as a motif.
The Serpentine Pavilion, 2002
The pavilion was a design that challenged boundaries between walls, floors, ceilings and the interior and exterior. It was designed by Toyo Ito and Cecil Balmond, and was based on the algorithm of a cube with a pattern of triangles and trapezoids. The intersecting lines alternated in transparent and opaque cladding, adding to the pavilions ambiguities. This play on geometric shapes, and the use of the contrast between transparency and opacity, would lend itself to the aesthetic challenges of a 3D engraving.
The Gherkin
No architectural survey of the UK would be complete without a mention of the Gherkin in Canary Wharf. Norman Foster left a controversial mark on the capital city, with this monumental tower block that generated much criticism but now contributes to the definition of the London architectural landscape. Its smooth, sinuous lines and glass faceted sides create different textures and a pleasing shape for an engraving project.
3D engraving has immense potential for creating iconic models in a technically and conceptually challenging medium. Modern architecture, with all its complexity and originality, seems a fitting theme for this challenge.
