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Thomas Heatherwick: Making
Revised and expanded edition How do you turn a paper mill into a gin distillery? Let every country in the Olympic Games take part in making and lighting the Olympic Cauldron? Design a building using an electron microscope? Produce a new bus for London that uses less fuel? Make someone eat your business card? Develop a new kind of mosque? Turn the back door of a hospital into its front door? Grow a meadow in the center of a city? Generate the form of a building in less than a minute? Use saliva as an ingredient of a Christmas card? Create a piece of architecture that represents a nation? This is the definitive publication on one of the world's most exceptional designers. More than 600 pages, 140 projects and hundreds of photographs, illustrations, and sketches, this revised and expanded monograph will excite, inspire, and serve as an invaluable resource for creative solutions and the joy of making for many years to come.
640 pages, Paperback
First published May 1, 2012
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
October 23, 2016
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I wish I was rich. I wish I could buy this book as a Christmas present for everyone I know .
It is humongously exciting.
It’s book written by one of Britain top designers – and it maps the progress of him and his studio from 1990 to 2011. It details not only the projects, but the creative thinking behind the projects too. The scope of the projects is extensive, from unique Christmas cards, to buildings, to chairs….and even a vulture aviary in India. He strides the world with his innovative ideas.
This man has a colossal imagination. I don’t like all of his work, but a lot of it is wonderfully thrilling, and some of it I adore. He works a lot with industry, using cutting edge materials or materials from unexpected quarters, and he searches the world for the latest equipment - equipment that will help him realise his extraordinary ideas. His work is a wonderful example of fine art meeting technology, and the results are often exquisitely beautiful, or playful - or both.
Herewith a few examples of his work. I don't know how things work here, but I am hoping you can click on one or two of the images and get to see them better....
The Seed Cathedral at the Shanghai World Expo. This consisted of an installation of 60,000 acrylic rods, piercing a structure from outside to inside. Inside, the end of each rod carried seeds from the Kew Gardens seed bank - 250,000 seeds in total. Daylight would travel down each rod to light up the seeds:
And here is part of the wall of seeds from inside the Seed Cathedral:
Close up of the Material House Sculpture, in the Science Museum in London, comprising 213 layers of different materials, fused together, then sculpted to create what looks like a serpentine geological formation, running from floor to ceiling:
“Spun” chairs, at the V&A Museum in London, which can rotate and rock in three dimensions when people sit on them:
Tower in Colindale, London:
Design for a London cable car:
Teeside power station:
Christmas card. All Heatherwick's intricate cards are sent through the post - with the help of his local sorting office in London:
Christmas cards – the pattern on the “snowflake” consists of card folded several times, and stamped with the name and address of the recipient; then all the negative space has been cut out. The card unfolds to make the snowflake, with just a repeating pattern of the name and address:
---------------------------------------------
His latest venture is a work in progress - a garden bridge across the River Thames in London.
To get a 360 degree view of a mock-up of this bridge, just click one of the pointers on the top left of the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g14XR...
----------------------------------------------
Photography credits:
Seed Cathedral (exterior)
Darren Bradley @ flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88017382...
Seed Cathedral (interior)
Evan Chakroff @ flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evandaga...
The Materials House sculpture
Joseph Hoetzl @ flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/josephho...
“Spun” chairs
Everydaylife.style @ flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/everyday...
*Tower in Colindale, London.
*Design for a London cable car.
*Both Christmas card pictures
Photo taken by me from book “Thomas Heatherwick - Making”
Published by Thames & Hudson.
I wish I was rich. I wish I could buy this book as a Christmas present for everyone I know .
It is humongously exciting.
It’s book written by one of Britain top designers – and it maps the progress of him and his studio from 1990 to 2011. It details not only the projects, but the creative thinking behind the projects too. The scope of the projects is extensive, from unique Christmas cards, to buildings, to chairs….and even a vulture aviary in India. He strides the world with his innovative ideas.
This man has a colossal imagination. I don’t like all of his work, but a lot of it is wonderfully thrilling, and some of it I adore. He works a lot with industry, using cutting edge materials or materials from unexpected quarters, and he searches the world for the latest equipment - equipment that will help him realise his extraordinary ideas. His work is a wonderful example of fine art meeting technology, and the results are often exquisitely beautiful, or playful - or both.
Herewith a few examples of his work. I don't know how things work here, but I am hoping you can click on one or two of the images and get to see them better....
The Seed Cathedral at the Shanghai World Expo. This consisted of an installation of 60,000 acrylic rods, piercing a structure from outside to inside. Inside, the end of each rod carried seeds from the Kew Gardens seed bank - 250,000 seeds in total. Daylight would travel down each rod to light up the seeds:
And here is part of the wall of seeds from inside the Seed Cathedral:
Close up of the Material House Sculpture, in the Science Museum in London, comprising 213 layers of different materials, fused together, then sculpted to create what looks like a serpentine geological formation, running from floor to ceiling:
“Spun” chairs, at the V&A Museum in London, which can rotate and rock in three dimensions when people sit on them:
Tower in Colindale, London:
Design for a London cable car:
Teeside power station:
Christmas card. All Heatherwick's intricate cards are sent through the post - with the help of his local sorting office in London:
Christmas cards – the pattern on the “snowflake” consists of card folded several times, and stamped with the name and address of the recipient; then all the negative space has been cut out. The card unfolds to make the snowflake, with just a repeating pattern of the name and address:
---------------------------------------------
His latest venture is a work in progress - a garden bridge across the River Thames in London.
To get a 360 degree view of a mock-up of this bridge, just click one of the pointers on the top left of the video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g14XR...
----------------------------------------------
Photography credits:
Seed Cathedral (exterior)
Darren Bradley @ flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/88017382...
Seed Cathedral (interior)
Evan Chakroff @ flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/evandaga...
The Materials House sculpture
Joseph Hoetzl @ flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/josephho...
“Spun” chairs
Everydaylife.style @ flickr
http://www.flickr.com/photos/everyday...
*Tower in Colindale, London.
*Design for a London cable car.
*Both Christmas card pictures
Photo taken by me from book “Thomas Heatherwick - Making”
Published by Thames & Hudson.
April 7, 2020
The book is based in a reversed chromology narrative so it is actually more of a cv/portfolio that you buy. The language is simple and unfortunately the concepts not really deep but its ok. Heatherwick's work seems to be really unexpected, contextless to be precise and this is why is seems to stand out. The book is rich and really deserves to be read though someone will realize that there are lots of repetitions and recyclings of concepts.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2024
I have read every word from cover. This man has done a mountains of projects! And this is just design enterprises during 2 decades of his life. What a force of energy and inspiration.
I enjoyed it all. But have to say the Christmas card was the best ever!!
Favourite project? Mm maybe I shall read it again so I can choose.
I enjoyed it all. But have to say the Christmas card was the best ever!!
Favourite project? Mm maybe I shall read it again so I can choose.
July 30, 2024
Deceptively not just a coffee book. As someone midway through a civil engineering book I turn back to it every time I need reminding of why I am doing it. I’m inspired to not just sit in a box but design from Christmas cards to whole towns. A true balance of beauty and function, and a holistic view on design from concepts to understanding manufacturing procedures.
April 4, 2018
Interesting book by one of Britain's top designers. Full of interesting pictures and text written by Heatherwick.
July 13, 2020
很多設計理念的成形與實踐，手作確實也是設計重要的一部分，大規模的實驗可以讓設計的成品更加完美
October 13, 2025
A great seed of inspiration for the creative minds.
May 7, 2013
¿Se puede hacer diseño contestando preguntas? Pues precisamente para Thomas Heatherwhick de eso se trata el diseño y este maravilloso monográfico lo demuestra con gran acierto.
Presentando más de 120 proyectos, sí ¡más de 120! este prolífico diseñador Inglés hace alarde de su metodología de diseño. Presentados en orden cronológico los proyectos permiten ver la evolución de uno de los pilares del diseño Inglés contemporáneo y demuestran su indiscutible capacidad para innovar de una manera poco común en el mundo del diseño industrial contemporáneo.
Hoy en día el estudio de Thomas es un gran equipo interdisciplinario y los encargos que recibe vienen de todas partes del mundo y muchos de ellos son de gran envergadura, pero es fácil suponer que no siempre fue así. Lo que este arquitecto/diseñador logra plasmar en su monográfico es la tremenda coherencia entre lo que hizo como estudiante universitario y lo que presentó al mundo en la feria mundial en Shanghái, durante las olimpiadas y ahora que el nuevo autobús de dos pisos que circula por Londres.
Pensar que este talentoso diseñador nació sólo en 1970 y ha recorrido un brillante camino deja ver como ha sido productivo. Algo es seguro, Heatherwhick ha contestado muchas preguntas; y vaya que ha dado las respuestas ¡correctas!
Presentando más de 120 proyectos, sí ¡más de 120! este prolífico diseñador Inglés hace alarde de su metodología de diseño. Presentados en orden cronológico los proyectos permiten ver la evolución de uno de los pilares del diseño Inglés contemporáneo y demuestran su indiscutible capacidad para innovar de una manera poco común en el mundo del diseño industrial contemporáneo.
Hoy en día el estudio de Thomas es un gran equipo interdisciplinario y los encargos que recibe vienen de todas partes del mundo y muchos de ellos son de gran envergadura, pero es fácil suponer que no siempre fue así. Lo que este arquitecto/diseñador logra plasmar en su monográfico es la tremenda coherencia entre lo que hizo como estudiante universitario y lo que presentó al mundo en la feria mundial en Shanghái, durante las olimpiadas y ahora que el nuevo autobús de dos pisos que circula por Londres.
Pensar que este talentoso diseñador nació sólo en 1970 y ha recorrido un brillante camino deja ver como ha sido productivo. Algo es seguro, Heatherwhick ha contestado muchas preguntas; y vaya que ha dado las respuestas ¡correctas!
September 4, 2012
Was so inspired by the V & A exhibition that I bought this massive tome. Have been dreaming about rolling bridges and extruded bench seats. Stunning and beautiful and useful.
December 25, 2012
An extraordinary collection of innovation and ingenuity from one of Britain's foremost contemporary designers. Deftly factual and inspirational.
July 27, 2014
A great seed of inspiration for the creative minds.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews