Client: Discovery World at Pier Wisconsin
Location: Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA (2006)
Expanding Helicoid (Discovery World)
Beginning as a tight cluster, the Expanding Helicoid smoothly expands to fill the spiral staircase at the center of Discovery World’s permanent biotech exhibit. Visitors have the remarkable sensation of being inside the sculpture: As it contracts, it seems to disappear into the stairwell; as it expands, it seems to grow like a living plant. Bound by two spirals, like the DNA double helix it resembles, the helicoid itself is like a living organism, evolving as it expands. The Expanding Helicoid was awarded a Silver IDEA 2008 Award for excellence in the Environments category by the Industrial Designer’s Society of America and BusinessWeek.
Key Project Information
Material: Aluminum, Stainless Steel
Dimensions: 12m H, 3.6m W
Actuation: Single ¾ HP Servo Winch
Role
Design Principal, Technology Inventor and Patent Holder
Services
Concept Design, Kinematic and Geometric Rationalization, Mechanical Engineering, Fabrication Oversight, Assembly and Testing, Installation, Control System Design and Implementation