In the early 2000s, Zaha Hadid became the most well-known and successful female architect of her generation. Using state-of-the-art digital design technology and adhering to unique and futuristic aesthetics, she realized complex and dynamic buildings, whose free-flowing spaces appear to have been shaped by invisible forces.
Apart from buildings, Hadid also designed pieces of furniture which draw inspiration from nature and topography. The Mesa table was created for the second Vitra Edition in 2007, a series of limited-edition furniture by well-known designers and architects. It was intended to look organically grown, as if it were made from one piece. However, the technical process to attain this form turned out to be highly complex. It proved impossible to pour the whole table into a single mould, as its complex, rootlike structure could not be removed from the mould undamaged. Therefore, the digitally generated form had to be separated into parts; it was first tested using a full-scale model cut from polyurethane. A sandwich-structured composite of fibre- reinforced materials was chosen for most of the construction elements. The individual parts were carefully assembled and the joints filled with utmost precision.
Hadid originally intended to use chrome for the table’s high-gloss surface. However, since the galvanic process required for chrome plating could not be applied to non-conductive plastic, an alternative had to be found. Eventually, table was covered with a silver nitrate coating, effectively creating a mirror surface. A special device was built for smoothly turning the whole object 360 degrees horizontally, thereby achieving an even layer of silver nitrate in order to avoid any visible joints.
In the end, three colours – blue, gold, and green – were offered for sale, with twelve copies of each planned. The glossy, space-dominating solitaire Mesa not only turned out to be the most expensive object in the Vitra Edition, it also serves as a good example for how a project like this may challenge a company and its research and development department to push the boundaries of what is technically feasible.
Text: Jochen Eisenbrand
