[Wide] Band - Nomadic Café; Los Angeles

Griffin Enright Architects

Project Description  [WIDE]BAND is a 600-square foot, portable project with the flexibility to accommodate a multiplicity of functions (more or less the architectural equivalent of a hermit crab shell).

Originally designed as an installation for NeoCon West, it was then moved to the A + D Museum in Los Angeles where it functioned as a café by day and as a bar/lounge space at night without altering the configuration.
The name, [WIDE]BAND, alludes to the physical loop formed by the surfaces and to the broadband technology supporting the wireless Internet access provided. The primary material, orange 3/4” polycarbonate core panels (Pep) manufactured by 3Form, was chosen for its structural capacity to span large spaces and for its translucency, allowing the structure to be exceptionally thin and light. The panels are supported by a light skeleton of 1½” steel frames.
Walls, floor, and ceiling are shaped by wrapping the panels in a continuous loop, culminating in a long table which becomes an obstacle in the center of the room directing movement around and through the semi-transparent landscape. The table bisects the space, while becoming a nexus for engagement, promoting the interaction of visitors with each other as they negotiate the space. 
Construction Cost in whole dollars  32,000
Photographs by Benny Chan, Fotoworks

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