Chrysalis Toolbox   Seminar: Digital Fabrication  -  Partners: Benzi Rodman & Cory Seeger  -  UCLA Architecture & Urban Design

Sherpa is an experimental project of fabrication strategies in digital design. As a requirement, teams were asked to design a toolbox for a natural environment and to construct its shell out of zinc sheet metal.

Our team designed Sherpa as a formal critique of the conventional toolbox and a spatial response to the specific environment (forest). By considering the abundance of untouched nature and absence of flat surfaces, we designed Sherpa to hang from trees as a chrysalis does. This gives the toolbox a radial axis, which allows access to all compartments without hindrance. In order to heighten the tactile sense of the environment, the custom pewter-cast handle and tool compartments are lined with raw cashmere goat hair, providing insulation and comfort to the experience.

Photos: Cory Seeger