Exercise 2.2: Materials: Eye Spy! (Peckham Library)

Method

Return to the site that you visited in Part 1 and find as many examples of the materials you learned about in Exercise 2.1. Document them through sketches, photographs, notes, and/or any other means you feel is suitable – you do not need to find them all!

Fig. 2 A bit of white laminate has chipped away, we can see why fixing laminate would be difficult as chips are irregular and exposed surface underneath them is uneven. Grainy texture and laminate edges are visible in the photo above.

Fig. 3 – we can see the grainy texture of the white surface, and the ‘wooden’ bit beneath. I think top laminate is more scratch resistant, hence it was chosen as top layer on this table.

Fig. 4 Laminate cabinet with what seemed to be a natural stone worktop, could but could also be HiMacs. Very smooth, with rounded edges and cold to touch. On top of worktop there’s a sticker (I’m guessing it’s a self-adhesive polymeric film)

Fig. 5 – Fig. 8 Show shiny, resilient surface. The chair and top of display stand – we can see that the material has been bent.

Fig. 9 – Fig. 10 Interior elements made from powder coated metal.

Solid wood steps are attached to powder coated steel understeps and structure, the bannister has stainless steel handrail and mesh wire elements.

In the image above we can see a concrete step, with a glass insert and non-slip rubber strip.

In the image above we can see the powder coated steel support of concrete steps, with unpainted steel bolts. Glass insert is also visible in step above.

Vinyl floor covering looks soft, rubbery and flexible.

I couldn’t find any weathered steel inside but outside of Peckham library is clad in weathered copper.

Reflection on the task:

Some materials are hard to distinguish, for example himacs from laminate (countertop in Fig. 4). I thinks it’s a himacs countertop only because I couldn’t see the laminate strip edges. But am I right? Being a materials detective is a difficult task and I still need to learn loads about them. Especially about different steels and metals.

List of Illustrations:

Fig. 1 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Laminate Desk [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 2 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Damaged laminate desktop [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 3 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Laminate table [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 4 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Laminate cabinet [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 5 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) HiMacs Chair [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 6 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) HiMacs Chair on stainless steel legs [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 7 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) HiMacs Display Stand [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 8 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) HiMacs Display Stand Top [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 9 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Fabricated Metal [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 10 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Metal Cabinet [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 11 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Metal radiator cover [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 12 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Wood and steel staircase [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 13 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Needlefelt carpet tiles [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 14 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Concrete, glass, rubber [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 15 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Concrete, glass and steel [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 16 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Vinyl floor covering [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 17 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Green tinted glass [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 18 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Yellow tinted glass [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 19 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Weathered copper cladding [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.

Fig. 20 Shuttleworth, A. (2020) Weathered copper close up [Photograph] In possession of the author: Epsom.