Thomas Normant
Boston Architectural College - B.Architectural Sciences - 2019
Pratt Institute - MFA Interior Design - 2024
A Red Ribbon Flying in the Wind - Airbnb Offices
Site Research - Central Park, NYC
Exploring Form - Hand Modeling
Lanterns - High End Retail Cafe - BIM Construction and Documentation Product
For the city of fair winds, the concept started with a space that feels “moved and eroded by the wind”. It then evolved into “a red ribbon flying in the wind”, as the team found a way to carry Airbnb’s signature Red/Pink hue across the entire space using a concept grounded in its site context.
Designed By: Thomas Normant
Yoshiaki Kanasashi
Tianwen Guan
Software:
V-ray
Photoshop
Illustrator
Indesign
The intensity of the curves on the ceiling tapers off throughout the space from the most intense curves in reception down to softer ripples in the office.
Section - 3/16”=1’
Parametric Wall
The furniture and lighting fixtures were selected to celebrate timeless design pieces made by South American designers and architects. The palette is largely neutral with a red accent throughout the space, and the walls are kept white in order to highlight the ceiling.
Bulbo ChairCampana Brothers
Diz Lounge ArmchairSergio Rogrigues
W 30”X D 35” X H 28”
Cherry Wood - Dark Kitchen
W 47”X L 48” X H 59”
Rasberry
30% Fabric, 70% Leather
3/32”=1’ Elevators/Entrance Reception
ON SofaOscar Nyemeyer
W 71”X D 33” X H 28”
Stained Walnut, Wool Upholstry
Pluvial Table LampFederico Churba
D 15 ¾ ”X H 17”
Aluminum screen with resin body
Lámpara BienvenidaFederico Churba
90 ½”X H 86 ½”
Fiberglass Structure, Metallic Base
Partitions the Space while retaining an Open Plan
Hides the Ceiling Systems - Lights, Ducts, Electrical, Plumbing
Hides the Columns
3/32”=1’
The assigned site has no windows, aside from the two at the end of the corridor in the offices. This means the space will be lit solely with electric light all day. To accommodate the office workers and clients visiting the space, the smart lighting system will be set to change in color temperature according to the time of day during the year. A colder light in the mornings, slightly warmer around noon, and a warm orange light around sunset.
6:30 P.M
9:30. AM
In the mid nineteenth century in NY, a sudden population growth led to the need for a massive park to be planned and built. Landscape architects Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux won the competition for the park’s plan in 1857. The existing land was razed and Central Park was built.
In the 1980’s Central Park was refurbished by the newly established Central Park Conservancy.
Topographic map
Using 3D modeling software, augmented reality animation software, online resources and a physical site model, I created an interactive site model of Central Park in NYC. The base model is a tectonic plywood model of central park at a scale of 1:4000 (laser cut). The surrounding model is of the buildings lining central park on every side. One small corner of the site is 3D printed in order to infer the overall context physically, but the rest of the model exists in digital space. On one’s phone or tablet computer, the physical site model acts as a “trigger image” for the digital 3D model of Manhattan to wrap itself around the physical model, and line up with the 3D print.
Sustainable: Less materials used on site model.
Modular: Layered site information can be turned on and off with clicks and triggers.
Time : Information can be layered and animated to show data transitions over time
I.E - traffic, weather, pedestrian circulation, sun path and shadows.
By cutting, folding, scoring and binding the flat Bristol in various ways, each piece transforms into sculptural conceptual models.
A minimalist luxury retail store to display Noguchi’s Akaris is conceived by synthesizing the Akaris forms with one of his sculptures, as well as a modern fashion runway. A series of custom designs inspired by the Akaris will transform the space with a bar, a checkout desk, and retail showroom to display the iconic lighting fixtures inside Noguchi’s old workshop across from his museum on 33d Street in Astoria, NY.
The program for this space is a retail showroom where the Akaris are displayed, followed by a cafe/bar (with restrooms), followed by a gift store and checkout desk. Noguchi’s aesthetic, and some of his furniture will complement the space to create a unique buying experience. The retail showroom floor is raised in order to hide all cables from view.
Since this is a retail store for lights, the color palette will consist of lighter hues in order to allow for as much light reflection as possible. Noguchi’s sofa, the custom bar chairs, and Saarinen’s Tulip chair and table will add a bright accent to the neutral palette in the space.
Section Perspective
There are several lighting layers to consider when designing a retail shop meant to showcase lighting fixtures. The ambient lighting is seamless, recessed behind the I beams in the ceiling and reflected onto the ceiling plane and back down. The architectural lighting follows the workshop’s existing architecture. Finally the Akaris, Bar, and Checkout desk act as sculptural lighting.
Indirect Recessed Fixture
LED:Wall Washer
Rendered Floor Plan
Entry/Exit
Checkout Bar/Cafe
Inspired by Noguchi’s Sculptures, his Akaris, and James Turrell’s lighting methods, a series of shelves embedded inside one another provides a base display for the Akaris, and emanate a warm glow. The semitransparent shelves are wrapped in washi paper cast with a thin layer of transparent resin, in order to provide structural integrity and durability. Much like Noguchi’s sculptures, the intent is to encourage circular movement around the shelves.
1” Thick Washi and Resin
1” Bamboo PlywoodCNC cut
Waterproof LED Strips1/2” thick
The bottom oval is lined with LED strips and floods the structure with light, which is diffused through the resin cast washi paper. The resulting effect is a warm glow that complements the Akaris without distracting from their form.
On entry, the visitors are flooded with cold light before they step into the retail showroom. This creates a procession through the space guided with light, and offers a strong contrast to the less illuminated showroom, where the Akaris take center stage.
Late Afternoon
The original conceptual sketches come to life in the final design (left), where the negative space between each oval guides the circulation in the overall space. The modules also complement one another visually, by having their contours “merge” in perspective.
The client wanted a bar/cafe as part of the space and so a “Lantern Bar” merges Noguchi’s aesthetic with bar construction. The top portion is framed with curved bamboo rods, wrapped in washi paper, lit from the inside by lightweight LED strips, and suspended from the ceiling with transparent wires. The bar top is a curved bamboo frame anchored by front and back panels made of washi paper and bamboo strips cast in clear resin for durability.
Inspired by Noguchi’s formal aesthetic and Knoll’s iconic gravity-defying furniture, the large “stem” is a single piece of CFRA, or carbon fiber reinforced aluminum with a heavy mass in the base for extra support. The stem comes up to meet a socket where it is fixed into place. A thin oval steel plate is screwed into the bottom of the plywood base of the cushion seat, which can now be bolted together with the socket and the stem.
While the banana we know is yellow, bananas also come in blue, red, and purple. Measuring a foot in total width, this suede mini shoulder purse has two compartments, one large and one for smaller accessories. The flaps peel open at the top and close back down into place with a magnetic strip lining the seams.
The Marbled Lamp is a concept born out of material research and inspired by designs that use nature’s forms to create an object or a sculpture that echoes natural arrangements. The end result is an optical illusion: A piece of burnt wood cut using the lines of the grain of an existing piece of marble stone. The negative spaces imply the “grain” of marble, and are emphasized by a rectangular backlight that shines through the cracks.
Table Lamp Axonometric Backlit with LED Panel
1/4” Burnt Cedar - Front Panel
The final design comes together at two different scales: a small table lamp and a large wall panel. The rectangular LED panels shine light through the negative space, rendering the “grain of marble” with light. The color temperature and color of light may be adjusted through a phone.
Under Nina Ferrer’s supervision and direction, I was in charge of drawing up elevations from plans, rendering these elevations, and eventually modeling the space in 3d and rendering them. The project was a large residence with a large budget in Long Island, and I got a lot of insight into client-designer relationships, how compromises are made, and how to build schedules and construction documents.
In order to keep the space as bright and comfortable as possible, the color palette consists of light woods, textured upholstery, and a patterned, playful wallpaper by Kelly Wearstler. The neutral palette is accented with a dark blue bed, a black wooden desk and closet, and a yellow table lamp.
Furniture Plan
3/8” = 1’
Snoopy
Achille and Pier
Giascomo Castiglioni
15 ½”W x 14 ½”H
Navy Blue
BFF Footsool
Marcel Wanders
26”W x 26” L x 14.2”H
Steel, Wood, Foam
Bamboletto Bed
Mario Bellini
LBL 153
69”W x 95 ¼” L x 13 3/8”H
Blue-Grey Canvas Upholstry
Bellano 411
Bellhop Table
Edward Barber and Jay Osgerby
8.3”W X 4.9”H
About A Chair 53
Hee Welling
Intaglio Grey Upholstry
23.2”W x 20.5”D x 31.1H
134” W x 12”D x 50”H
Le Bambole
Mario Bellini
47” X 36”
Cream Bouclé Upholstry
Sila 100
Akari 21A
Isamu Noguchi
L 25.5 in H 11 in
Venice Leather and Oak Wood
6-Drawer Dresser
Brigette Romanek
65”W x 20”D x 30.5”H
