Project Description

The handrail design is a combination of our interest in the off-the-shelf design of the Eames House and what we’ve termed the exaggerated detail. The exaggerated detail fits somewhere between Ed Ford’s definitions of detail as motif and detail as construction logic. This type of detail is disruptive, the sheer size in relation to a typical minimalist handrail creates a jarring effect. It is not solely the expression of the pieces and parts that make up the handrail, the scale generates more interesting questions related to necessity, economics, ornament, time and function. The handrail is composed entirely of parts out of catalogs used in unconventional ways with new forms of technology. These ideas marry well with the Eames House to provide an interesting handrail that could be integrated into the house.

Detail Definition

The handrail is composed of 2” diameter and 1” diameter cold rolled tube steel. These pieces were lasered to create slots for different sized “U”, “Z”, and “H” aluminum channels. The design allows for these pieces to come together without any welding and stay rigidly in place. The intent was to express our use of new technologies to create an interesting form of construction logic. 80/20 aluminum framing covers the tubes, cut at various angles to reveal the construction logic of the tube steel and aluminum channels. 16 gauge laser cut steel is bent to wrap the framing. The pattern cut out of the steel is the silhouette of the different aluminum channels, again revealing the inner construction logic of the steel tubes and aluminum channels.