Thomas Heatherwick Designs You Won’t Believe
Thomas Heatherwick is an iconic designer who has made his mark through his different designs. He is not just a designer, but he made it to the top in the industry due to creativity, innovation and attention to details. Thomas talks in this Interior Design article about how we focus too much on the top of buildings versus the first floor. It is this focus on the human experience that makes him one of the most sought after designers in the world today.
Every Thomas Heatherwick’s design is flawless with a high level of professionalism and architectural touch. He is like a brand name himself when it comes to design and his amazing projects have inspired many young and upcoming designers in the industry. He is definitely an inspiration to those who have met him, those who have seen his designs and those who have heard tales about him.
Thomas Heatherwick
Thomas Heatherwick was born in the 17th of February, 1970 in London, England and in less than 5 decades he is already the best in what he does. He graduated from Manchester Metropolitan University and was mentored by a prominent designer Terence Conran.
In 1994, Thomas Heatherwick founded the Heatherwick studio shortly after he graduated from the Royal College of Heart.
The Heatherwick Studio which has a very humble beginning has recorded a ground breaking success over time. The studio which has been existence for over two decades has grown exponentially over time. The firm now has over 200 designers, architects and advanced landscape architects.
Without an iota of doubt, the Heatherwick studio was built around Thomas Heatherwick passion for creativity, problem solving and invention. This is why the studio focuses more on craftsmanship and has been able to tackle several projects including; A Perfume Bottle for Christian Louboutin and a new campus for Google in California.
You hear so much about Biophilic Design. We love Thomas’ quote on it:
Biophilia is not just about plants and leaves, it’s about engagement with your senses and the natural world. If you’re in a double-glazed office building that’s hermetically sealed with A/C, you can’t hear the rain or feel the breeze, and in many cases can’t see the sun.
5 of Thomas Heatherwick Best Designs
#1. Zeitz MOCAA Art Galleries Carved Out Of Cape Town Grain Silo
The Zeitz MOCAA Art gallery is one of Thomas Heatherwick most recent designs that went viral. This project which is located in South Africa happens to be the biggest art museum in the country. It is still baffling how Thomas Heatherwick and his team turned a historic grain silo building into a place everyone wants to see.
According to Thomas, the Zeitz museum is the world’s tubbiest building that represents a contemporary art Africa. With full certainty, the Zeitz museum has become one of the world’s most important exhibition spaces for African art.
Thomas Heatherwick and his team used exceptional craftsmanship and years of experience to create a complex network of 80 gallery spaces. However, the designer acknowledged the fact developing the Zeitz MOCAA art Galleries inside the Cape Town Grain Silo, was a herculean task but it came out exceptionally cool.
The inside cut-out of the grain silos were the inspiration for our showroom light.
LED Modern Chandelier – Thomas Heatherwick inspired.
#2. The Olympic Cauldron Project in London, 2012
Another top notch Thomas Heatherwick design is The Olympic Cauldron Project. The Cauldron consisted of 204 copper cone-shaped objects. Each of these objects was carried in the arena by an athlete representative of each country and placed on a metal rod that illuminated out from the center of the stadium.
After which athletes ignited flames inside each one. It was awesome.
This project was groundbreaking and it impressed all the spectators in the stadium that day.
#3. New Bus for London, 2010
Reinterpreting the New bus for London is also among the best designs by Thomas Heatherwick. Designing the Routemaster bus for the 21st century is a ground breaking achievement for the Heatherwick studio.
Thomas Heatherwick’s new design of the Routemaster is classic and it looks more modern in functions and appearance. Unlike the original Routemaster, Heatherwick’s new design allowed wheel chair users and people with prams to access it easily without help.
The new Routemaster designed by Thomas has three doors, this makes it relatively more accessible to people.
What make his new design of Routemaster bus unique is the fact that it uses both electric and diesel energy. Also, it is relatively lightweight and uses 40 percent less fuel than the standard London buses.
#4. Extrusions Furniture 2009
Interestingly, Heatherwick also made his mark in furniture design. He produced a straight aluminum length furniture in 2009 using the factory process of squeezing heated metal through a shaped hole popularly known as die.
Some of the aluminum furniture Thomas Heatherwick and his team created are; benches whose straight, clean, extruded lengths contras with their raw, contorted ends.
#5. Spin Chair, 2010
Thomas Heatherwick and his team came up with a mind blowing spun chair in 2010. In the US, it is branded Spin chair by Herman Miller. According to him, the chair was a result of extensive research and experimentation.
The ergonomically rotated chair is very comfortable as it has a back support. This design is ground breaking. It is one of his best fun designs!
Thomas Heatherwick approach to design is holistic. He is not limited to a particular area. He solves problems using his amazing craftsmanship and creativity.
His work cut across different design disciplines including; Architecture, Engineering, Transport, Urban planning, Sculpture and product design. One of his goals is to take on an affordable housing project & healthcare. We can not wait to see what design he comes up with those projects.
