wooden foliage by andblack studio + rooshadSHROFF

‘wooden foliage’ by jwalant mahadebwala and rooshad shroff all photos by jwalant mahadevwala

having been invited by CEPT university in ahmedabad, india as facilitators for a space making wood workshop – an initiative by the school’s design innovation and craft resource centre (DICRC) – jwalant mahadebwala of andblack studio and rooshad of rooshadSHROFF architecture and design were posed with the task of designing and manufacturing a canopy utilizing left over wooden parts from a previous studio course, and execute the piece within 72 hours.

the brief they were given required that the indian creatives incorporate 100 cylindrical wooden members (2′ long / 2" in diameter) with tapering ends as the form’s primary structural material. the duo decided to slice these pieces which resulted in 7000 discs. they drilled holes along the perimeter of each circular component and connecting them into an expansive, light and flexible sheath stitched together through the use of 26,000 staple pins. ‘wooden foliage’ is suspended between two trees and serves as a shading device, creating a pattern play of light and shadow on the ground below. the resulting large canopy resembles a wooden fabric and is situated within the main plaza of the school of interior design (SID) on the CEPT campus.

the wooden fabric hanging among the trees

‘wooden foliage’ is suspended from two trees creating a canopy

7000 circular wooden disks form the expansive sheath

up close look at the wooden discs which are held together by staple pins

the massive work is situated in the main plaza of the school of interior design at CEPT university in ahmedabad, india

general view

up close look at the undulating structure

‘wooden foliage’ by night

project info:

100 cylindrical wooden elements + 7,000 wooden discs + 26,000 staples + 72 hrs + 384 man hrs = 1 canopy project name : wooden foliage, ahmedabad completion date: 10th june, 2012 principal designers: jwalant mahadevwala (andblack design studio, ahmedabad) and rooshad shroff (rooshad shroff architecture + design, mumbai) credits : professor krishna shastri, SID; professor kirit patel, SID; jay thakkar, DICRC; nikunj choradiya, co-facilitator, DICRC workshop at CEPT university.