At Milan Design Week, which kicked off Tuesday in Italy, a canopy fashioned from 300 pairs of recycled jeans brings together architecture, art and structural innovation. Diller Scofidio + Renfro and Thornton Tomasetti teamed up to create “Off the Cuff,” a temporary installation in the Palazzo Litta courtyard constructed of denim trousers connected at the waist and cuffs and filled with air. The fabric grid is stretched between cable-stay posts. Its structural stability is ensured through a balance of form-finding and the base structure, which resolves the system without the need for heavy ballast under the ties. Material testing was performed to verify the structural integrity of the denim and connections with transmitted forces. Thin Kevlar rope was introduced as an erection aid and remains to provide supplementary support to the system. A PVC foil sits above the denim and kevlar mesh.
Scott Lomax is the principal in charge and Mike Bauer is the project manager.
Milan Design Week runs until April 9.