By Nigel F. Maynard
Architect and industrial designer Ben K. Mickus has unveiled a 3D-printed light that draws inspiration from nature as well as the extraterrestrial. It’s also made from a corn-based bioplastic material. Designed with hexagonal geometry, the light has been precisely shaped to produce distinctive, glare-free illumination, the architect says.
“The shade is an array of tapered cell walls, precisely angled to bounce light twice from the internal LED source to the softly diffused light exiting the fixture,” says Mickus, founder of Mickus Projects, a multi-disciplinary design studio specializing in furniture, lighting, architecture and design strategy. “The 3d-printed surfaces have a subtle, striated texture creating a distinctive gradient across each surface.”
Hedron is defined by a filigree-like 3d-printed shade, delicately wrapped around a stem with an LED source. Mickus says the pendant was influenced by Danish designer Poul Henningsen, whose careful analysis of reflection patterns informed the research for the fixture.
“The inspiration started with forms in nature…honeycombs, soap bubbles, insect eyes, and how to transform that mesmerizing pattern into something spatial, with depth and volume, highlighted by light washing across the surfaces,” says Mickus, who previously worked with Diller Scofidio + Renfro, SOM and WRNS Studio. “It then turned into a parametric game of how to shape the fixture so every surface is washed by light without allowing the light source to be visible from any angle!”
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Mickus, whose other light projects includes Open Beam and Dark Light, set out to create a multifunctional centerpiece chandelier that was well suited for residential, commercial and hospitality environments. He also wanted the option of indoor and outdoor installation. “The design goals were to create a monolithic element, without dozens of pieces and attachments, combined with a complex and beguiling perception experience, where the viewer does not completely understand how the intriguing lighting effect is created,” he says.
Naturally, 3D printing technology was the obvious choice. Several 3d printing media were tested for durability, environmental impact, surface texture and opacity when lit from the front and back. Polylactic Acid, a renewable bioplastic material, solved for all of these criteria and is also readily available worldwide.
“With a translucent white natural color, the fixture has an ethereal quality by day and a uniquely warm quality of light by night,” Mickus says. “With the optional white ceramic coating, the fixture takes on a more dramatic quality of light, with strong gradients from light to dark across its textured surfaces.”
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Available in two standard sizes (18 inches and 38 inches), Hedron has a stem made from standard lamp components, with a custom CNC-cut bracket supporting the 3d-printed shade from within without any fasteners or moving parts.
“After several rounds of prototyping and testing, [the pendant] is in production and I am already working on my first handful of orders,” Mickus says. “Since the design is parametric, each piece can be custom-sized and custom-shaped to suit a client’s request. I have a global network of 3d printing facilities that I work with, so I am well-equipped to provide one-offs as well as large-quantity orders.”
