nick fraser transforms pipework into 3D tube map of london

 british designer nick fraser creates his products based on the idea of ‘re-imagining the familiar’ – resulting in playful designs that combine character and charm. his latest project, pipework series, forms a significant part of the collection.

nick fraser 3D tube map of london displayed at the station

the design junction at king’s cross -during london design festival- seemed like the right place for nick fraser to display his 3D interpretation of the london underground map in pipework– something he was looking to do for quite a while. after nearly ten years of developing and manufacturing his signature product range, pipework series, fraser was looking for a new challenge. between industrial plumbing work, underground tunnels and the iconic charm of the london tube map, he saw great potential in the realization of this project. 

colored washers refer to interchanging lines, brass brackets indicate smaller stops

using polished copper for all pipelines was the simplest way to celebrate the iconic map layout, while leaving the endless tips of the installation to the viewer’s imagination. although using different tube lines comes as second nature to most londoners, a series of colored washers has been included in the design to help less experienced visitors find their way. the adaptable nature of nick fraser’s pipework series has played a big role in its success so far, and the designer’s ambition is to keep exploring the tube map as well as other large-scale installations.

levels have been created to represent the depths of underground tunnels  

five pipelines seamlessly interweave

close up on the different colored valves

detail of the composition pipe/brass/valve

designboom has received this project from our ‘DIY submissions‘ feature, where we welcome our readers to submit their own work for publication. see more project submissions from our readers here.