Michael Hansmeyer's Columnar Computational Architecture

For the occasion of the 2011 Gwangju Design Biennale in South Korea—curated by Chinese artist Ai Wei Wei—the Swiss architect Michael Hansmeyer created these alien-looking columns using a complex computer algorithm and CNC milling. The algorithm, originally developed by the film production company Pixar, produced non-repeatable surfaces, which were then milled into one millimeter-thick sheets, and finally painstakingly stacked to form the nine-foot columns. Dubbed "The Sixth Order," a play on the five classical column orders, the work is a continuation of Hansmeyer's earlier work in cardboard.
· The World’s Most Intricately Designed Columns: “The Sixth Order” at the Gwangju Design Biennale 2011 [Architizer]