Touch surfaces

Material Research project, Design Academy Eindhoven. [2014]. In response to finding a new application for wood as a classically used material, I started to look into how to bring the comforting warm values we connect with wood into a sterile environment like a hospital. My focus was on combining wood with copper. Copper is a particularly sterile material and is one of the only materials that the hospital spread MRSA virus cannot live on. I, therefore, focused on touch surfaces around hospitals.

The material was inspired by plywood and uses a layering technique of different woods with copper sheets. The material is then sanded to the form and amount of copper required. These samples are examples of how the material can be used for flat counter tops, rounded handrails, or negative shapes. The location and quantity of copper can depend on the touch area of that surface. The amount of copper showing is flexible as more wood can be sanded away if the touch surface grows or changes.