Therese Lowton

VIHARA

Industrial Design, Furniture

Vihara is a furniture range designed for a mid-range market in their mid twenties to mid forties with a focus on apartment living.

Rajavihara, translated from Kmher as "a secluded place in which to walk", or “dwelling” is the ancient Buddhist name for Ta Prohm temple in Siem Reap, Cambodia. The temple is long overgrown with a forest of tall fig trees that have woven their way through cracks in the stonework to plant their roots into the Earth as their branches reach for the sky. Had the trees attached themselves to another plant, they would have strangled the live host, sacrificing it for their own growth. Instead, the roots squeezed the stonework of the existing building, initially a destructive notion and now the only thing holding Ta Prohm together. Their relationship becomes dependent and showcases a beautiful example of the codependency between the man-made host and nature.

The Vihara range mimics the relationship of elements at Ta Prohm. The range is attached to walls within a dwelling and as the inhabitant needs the function of each piece, it will grow from its attachment. Each piece exhibits an Axolotl copper plated shell, which will change its appearance with age, and contains a Plyboo inner. The Vihara table unfolds and grows from one copper shell <350x640x700> to a Plyboo table <510x770x700> and two chairs <400x400x450>. The Vihara shelving units come in a range of sizes including <250x510x350> and <250x510x2100> with copper shell and Plyboo shelving.

All materials are selected with the environment in mind. Axolotl only use 100% recycled metal and the process of applying a veneer has less of an impact than standard sheet metal. Plyboo is sourced from pesticide free plantations and manufactured without urea-formaldehyde.

Software: InDesign, Photoshop, Revit Architecture

Specialties: CAD, Eco Design, Materials, Research, Sketching

Images (2)

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  CAD, eco design, Furniture, indesign, Industrial Design, Materials, photoshop, research, Revit Architecture, sketching

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  CAD, eco design, Furniture, indesign, Industrial Design, Materials, photoshop, research, Revit Architecture, sketching

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