Grid: A Fusion of Tradition and Innovation

Mian Wei's Award-Winning Table Design Inspired by Ancient Chinese Architecture

The Grid draws its inspiration from Dougong, a wooden structure integral to traditional Chinese architecture. Dougong was used in various parts of buildings to distribute weight evenly, binding the roof, girders, and pillars together. Mian Wei sought to improve upon this ancient structure, simplifying it to suit modern life.

What sets the Grid apart is its use of traditional interlocking wood structure. The assembly of the table becomes a process of learning about the structure and experiencing history. The supporting structure, or Dougong, is made of modular parts that can be easily disassembled and reassembled for storage and moving. The bracket connectors, or Gong, slide easily into the beams, or Dou, to form the weight-bearing structure. This design ensures structural integrity even when the table is being lifted, eliminating the need for screws.

The table is made of ash, maple, and plywood. The Gong were made first into long beams and then cut into pieces. These brackets then slide in and lock the Dou made of ash wood. Together, these components form the entire structure. Finally, a maple wood panel is placed on top as the surface, supported evenly by the structure below. The table is highly machine manufacturable and can be mass-produced.

The Grid is more than just a piece of furniture; it is an interactive design experience. At first glance, the table's image might seem puzzling, but as the owner builds the table, they come to understand the simple and understandable interlocking structure beneath the complex aesthetic. Through building the table, the complexity fades away, revealing the sensible nature of the design. The structure itself creates the form and the aesthetic, making the table a different piece of furniture for the guest and the owner.

The project began in 2015 in China, with a prototype made in 2017 in Rhode Island. It was exhibited in May 2017 in Providence, Rhode Island, and a full-scale table was made in 2018 in Massachusetts. The project was inspired by an architectural road trip across China, where Mian Wei observed the many ancient wooden architectural relics scattered across central-northern China, particularly in Shanxi province. The wooden structure Dougong plays an important role in the historical development of Chinese architecture, and this project sought to bring new life to this ancient tradition while exploring new aesthetic possibilities with modern forms and production techniques.

The main challenge of this project was to bring a traditional handcrafted structure into the modern age. Many have tried to imitate the ancient aesthetic with wood and rivets or even concrete, but these loose visual interpretations parted from its structural nature and simplicity of assembly. The structure and crafting procedure had to be redesigned and reorganized to fit modern life and manufacturing while retaining value, tradition, and physical property. The project sought to reduce the structure into the simplest modular form while preserving its functional and aesthetic nature. The result is the Grid, a table that is not just a piece of furniture, but a testament to the timeless appeal of ancient design techniques and the potential of modern technology.