New York City / Berlin

Engineering with

the eye of a designer

Laufs Engineering Design
News/December 2021

Life, Wisdom, and Organic Growth – Speaking Willow

Designed to create an immediate interaction with visitors entering the Planet Word Museum in Washington DC, Speaking Willow is a 18-foot-tall electronic tree that is animated by lighting and audio recordings in different languages.

Designed by Mexican-Canadian artist Rafael Lozano-Hemmer, the willow tree is a fitting metaphor to celebrate the word’s rich linguistic diversity. Lozano-Hemmer is known for transforming intangible traces of human experience-voices, movement, touch, heartbeats into monumental displays of light, imagine, and sounds. The bell-shaped speakers installed directly beneath the tree’s branches are activated by passers-by. Each speaker has been programmed with sample recordings of a different language. Our team at Laufs ED provided a structural engineering services.

Photos from Rebecca Murdock & Public Art Fund
News/May 2021

Little Island on the Hudson to open Memorial Day Weekend

Designed by Thomas Heatherwick and Mathews Nielsen LA, Little Island at Pier 55 creates an incredible leisure and arts space filled with foliage. The landscape is supported by precast concrete “pots” that taper to piles driven over 100 – 250 feet each.

Working with several types of brass and steel, our team provided structural calculations plus shop and fabrication drawings for Mariani Metal’s complex custom metalwork and Situ Studio’s organic timber seating. Because of the flowing landscape of the park, we worked with tighter tolerances and provided extra coordination support.

Photos from the NY Times & Dezeen
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