Matthew Muller

Critic - Furniture

Matthew Muller is a designer and builder whose work balances adaptation, function and lightness. Moving between object and architectural scales, his intuitive design process is grounded in material experimentation. After obtaining a BFA in Furniture Design from RISD, Muller cofounded Pneuhaus, a Providence-based studio that has spent a decade honing the craft of inflatable architecture. Building on the legacies of Buckminster Fuller and Frei Otto, Pneuhaus’ work has been exhibited and installed across the US and Europe.

Courses

Spring 2024 Courses

FD 2410-01 - LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE
Level Undergraduate
Unit Furniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start date
End date

FD 2410-01

LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE

Level Undergraduate
Unit Furniture Design
Subject Furniture Design
Period Spring 2024
Credits 3
Format Studio
Mode In-Person
Start and End 2024-02-15 to 2024-05-24
Times: M | 1:10 PM - 6:10 PM Instructor(s): Matthew Muller Location(s): Bank Building, Room 204 Enrolled / Capacity: 12 Status: Closed

SECTION DESCRIPTION

Championed by utopian thinkers of the 20th century like Buckminster Fuller and Frei Otto, the idea of doing more with less has become ingrained in the development of new building systems. Design for vehicles, extreme environments, and sports have pushed the field of lightweight structures along, creating a vast array of new materials and building techniques. This course will examine lightweight structures through the lens of material research and exploration. Emphasis will be placed on developing assembly systems that are integral to the particular materials being explored. Topics introduced in this course will include but not be limited to tensile structures, space frames, pneumatic structures, tensegrity, frozen fabrics and the various form finding strategies associated with each. This course will also examine the various ways that this topic can be approached through both physical and digital model making. Computer modeling experience is preferred, but not required.

Open to Junior, Senior or Graduate Students.

Elective