Short film spotlights Tonkin Liu's stent that echoes "geometry from nature"

In this video the founders of Londons studio Tonkin Liu delve into their design of a medical stent with an expanding lace-like structure, which has recently received a patent.

Produced by photographer Jim Stephenson, the film guides viewers through the design process behind the throat stent for patients who have had tracheal transplant surgery.

The C-shaped splint, which was first revealed by Tonkin Liu in 2018, is an adaption of the studio's structural technology named the shell lace structure.

[

Read:

Tonkin Liu shrinks architectural shell lace structure to create prototype windpipe stent

](https://www.dezeen.com/2018/10/16/tonkin-liu-lace-structure-prototype-windpipe-stent-design/)

Unlike the tubular mesh stents commonly used after surgery on the windpipe, it has been developed to expand and fit the individual shape of each person's trachea, preventing it from slipping.

In the video, Tonkin Liu's co-founder Anna Liu explains how this design takes cues from "geometry from nature".

Liu's co-founder Mike Tonkin adds that it demonstrates how "architecture can expand and become a broader remit".

"Although we really like go beyond architecture, we'd like the idea that actually the architects can think beyond architecture themselves and become more useful to society," he concludes.

Find out more about the stent here ›

The video is by Jim Stephenson.

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Short film tells story behind school theatre by Jonathan Tuckey Design

This video by photographer Jim Stephenson sheds light on the design of the David Brownlow Theatre, which London studio Jonathan Tuckey Design has created for a boarding school in Berkshire.

The theatre, which sits boldly within the tree-lined grounds of Horris Hill School, is designed by Jonathan Tuckey Design as a versatile space for assemblies, drama productions and music recitals.

Stephenson's film captures the building's distinctive features, such as red composite cement panels and a cross-laminated timber structure that reference Renaissance ecclesiastical architecture.

[

Read:

Jonathan Tuckey Design creates school theatre clad with red cement

](https://www.dezeen.com/2021/02/09/david-brownlow-theatre-horris-hill-school-jonathan-tuckey-design-sustainable-theatre/)

Interspersed with architectural shots is footage of the theatre in use, alongside commentary from architect Jonathan Tuckey as well as Chloe Anderson, the school's head of drama.

Together Tuckey and Anderson discuss the purpose and design of the theatre, which Tuckey said is intended to be "entertaining to an inquiring mind".

"It was always going to be a theatre principally for the pupils of the school, pupils whose age ranges between five and 12," Tuckey explained. "So we were very mindful of the age group and the curiosity of their minds in how we put together the building."

Find out more about the David Brownlow Theatre here ›

The video is by Jim Stephenson.

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Thomas Randall-Page transforms Devon barn into light-filled artist's studio

Architect Thomas Randall-Page has renovated and updated an agricultural barn in Devon, England, to create a studio and archive space for his father, the sculptor Peter Randall-Page.

Peter Randall-Page purchased the barn in 2011 and commissioned his son Thomas's studio to oversee its conversion into a storage space and archive for his work, which includes stone sculptures, drawings and prints inspired by the geometric forms found in nature.

The building, named Art Barn, is located in the countryside on the edge of the Dartmoor National Park. The project brief called for the barn's appearance to remain largely unchanged and for its new functions to be accommodated within the existing envelope.

Thomas Randall-Page has renovated a barn in Devon

"From the outside, I wanted the finished building to appear as a hermetically sealed box," said Peter Randall-Page, "retaining the character of its agricultural origins and blending in with the contemporary vernacular."

"At the same time," he added, "I wanted the interior space to be full of natural light, with large apertures which, when opened, blur the boundary between the interior space and the surrounding landscape."

It is clad in vertical slats of cedar

Art Barn features a simple gabled form covered with vertical cedar cladding that overlaps a galvanised-steel skirt used to protect the wood from rain splashes.

To meet the requirements for ample natural light and views from within the building, a series of shutters and doors are incorporated into the timber facades.

A series of sliding doors help maximise light

Sliding doors on either side of the barn can be pulled aside to open the space up to the outdoors. Large glazed doors positioned inside the shutters shield the interior from the elements.

A folding balcony on one side of the building can be operated by hand, thanks to a system of counterweights that enable it to disappear into the cladding when not in use.

There is a folding balcony on one side

Inside Art Barn, the floor plan is divided into three distinct zones to meet the varied environmental requirements of the archive, storage and studio spaces.

The highly insulated and airtight archive to the north is concealed behind a solid wall and accessed through doors at either end. A sensor-controlled dehumidification system is used to protect the precious artworks and documents.

Its interior is left largely open

The rest of the interior is left largely open, providing a simple, unheated storage and display area for Peter's sculptures. A freestanding structure called the "winter studio" provides a cosy space for working throughout the year.

The studio is elevated on timber supports connected to sculpted stone feet. The space underneath provides a lounge area with a wood-burning stove as its facial point.

Another stove inside the studio heats this space, which is wrapped in cork panels to insulate it. Carefully positioned openings fill the interior with an even natural light.

A retaining wall was constructed to mitigate the site's slope and create two terraces. The wall, crafted from local stone by masons that Peter usually works with, extends into the building and wraps around the space beneath the studio, emphasising the different levels.

A cork-clad structure contains the "winter studio"

"The three split levels provide novel perspectives of the work," explained Thomas Randall-Page, "altering perceptions of scale and revealing the subtlety with which they touch the ground."

The building was designed with its whole-life carbon efficiency in mind, using local materials where possible and reusing much of the existing barn's softwood frame, roof and cladding.

The winter studio offers a cosy workspace

Other materials used in the project are chosen to complement the original agricultural construction, including hot-dipped galvanised steel used for the stairs, bannisters, window frames and doors.

The project developed and evolved gradually over a period of nine years. Most of the contractors were Peter's own studio team, which informed the choice of materials and the way the building was constructed.

A lounge area nestles below the winter studio

Thomas Randall-Page founded his architectural studio in Hackney in north London in 2014, following spells working for Heatherwick Studio and 6A Architects.

Randall-Page's previous projects include the design of a manually operated rolling bridge for a dock in east London, and an inflatable arts pavilion that popped up on a London canal.

Peter Randall-Page is known for his large-scale sculptures informed by a study of natural phenomena. He was elected to London's Royal Academy in 2015 and worked on the design team for the Education Resource Centre at the Eden Project in Cornwall, England, which contains one of his granite sculptures called "Seed".

Photography and video are by Jim Stephenson.

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