MASS Makes Waves at Tsunami

Contract furniture specialist Tsunami Axis now has a bar to shout about at its Central London offices.  At over 6.5 metres long, in a two tone black and white, it’s beautifully finished and another stunning creation of pure hi-tech concrete by MASS.

Concrete is an extraordinary material which is used in a bewildering number of ways, from motorway sub-grades through the structural framework to skyscrapers to reproducing classical details, translucent blockwork and wall panels, bricks, paving and roof tiles.

Now MASS Concrete has added another dimension.  It makes bespoke high quality furniture from concrete, as well as worktops, stair treads and wall panels.  But although some of the constituents are the same as standard concrete, there the resemblance ends.  A patented concrete technology is used to produce a material which has some of the basic natural qualities of stone but with its own special character, texture and performance.

MASS surfaces are cooler to the touch than laminates, warmer than stone and have a semi-matt finish that is smooth, silky and surprisingly sensuous. They are heat resistant up to 200oC, highly stain resistant, anti-microbial and there are 18 standard colours.  Unusually for a cast product, they have the randomness of silica and the character of a hand-crafted finish.

At Tsunami Axis, the 100mm thick MASS concrete bar has a 3.85m self-supporting span, mounted on a steel sub-frame.  Designed by Forme Partnership, one third is coloured black and is locked into its longer companion section in white by a jigsaw-style joint.  There had to be two interlocking pieces because of the maximum 3.6m length for a MASS casting.  The interlock sections of the two long moulds were cut from a CAD detail.

The MASS black surface extends around a corner at a lower level, where the 1m long end piece is used as a coffee table.  The two levels are linked by a Z-shaped detail, allowing a drop-down fire partition to operate.

MASS operations director Chris Smith-Wright said: “We thoroughly enjoyed the challenge of this bespoke project. The versatility of our manufacturing process allows designers to create organic forms, such as the Tsunami bar, and other unusually shaped surfaces.”

“The bar unites the two halves of our expanded offices and the effect is striking,” says Bud Goldston-Banning of Tsunami Axis. “The contrasting black and white pieces of the bar form a strong contrast with the red of the kitchen. The bar is very well used, for client entertaining, ad-hoc meetings at elbow height, and to eat lunch off.”

Tsunami Axis is one of a number of recent MASS Concrete commissions. Others include the National Gallery, Armani, Hilton Hotels plus table tops for the boardroom of major developer Stanhope.  And for kitchen worktops it is the material of choice for cutting edge designers.