Pole position

Established and Sons will demonstrate the strength of its 2mm thick Surface Table with the aid of a carefully balanced 300kg F1 McLaren car.

The Surface table complete with a McLaren car

This show of strength is to be exhibited at design biennale Interieur 2010 in Belgium, from 15-24 October – overlapping the F1 Korean Grand Prix weekend. Hopefully arrangements have been made so an aghast Jenson Button isn’t left staring into an empty garage.

Designers Terence Woodgate and John Barnard are behind the stunt which they hope will show the lightness and beauty of composite materials.  

The designers created The Surface Table in 2008, a 4m long 2mm thick object made from layered carbon fibre composites, intended at the time for the home.

The Surface Table

 Composites – fibre imbedded in a polymer matrix – have allowed designers to combine strength and technical function with design.

Barnard who has a background in racecar design, favours working in carbon fibre and conceived the first composite chassis in the material for McLaren in 1980, which is probably why they graciously lent him this formula one car.

The Surface Table from Established and sons

Car-balancing-tables are in some way justified as being contextualised  in the biennale which project coordinator Dieter Van Den Storm says will, ‘Show some facets of the new world.’ She adds, ‘We owe it to our reputation to push out boundaries, to be innovative and to arm ourselves for the future. This is the path Interieur 2010 has chosen to enter the new world of architecture and design.’

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