LLDS is the architectural & design arm of Power to Make. We are a unique architectural practice that extends our design capacity through digital fabrication. Our design studio and fabrication workshop coexist in the same building, which means we can design and prototype before committing to the possibility of ideas. Making is our way to communicate with our clients, collaborators and consultants.
We operate on the scale of the city, building, interior and furniture; designing holistic and integrated solutions to a set of problems which are not always obvious. We work with our clients to define the problem and present innovative solutions that come from a deep understanding of the fabrication process.
Through smart computational design and CNC technology, we can gain more control in the design and fabricated of our projects. This, in turn, provides our client with cost certainty and added value, dealing with buildability issues during the design process. We operate our own CNC machinery and robotic arm, so we understand the limitations and opportunities in a wide range of industrial and advance manufacturing processes. This feeds into our design to generate a workflow that allows us to oscillate between ideas and fabrication; where we can, we aim for a direct design to production workflow.
Selected Projects / News
Future Prototyping 2020
exhibition staged at the Dulux Gallery, Melbourne School of Design gathers innovative virtual, immersive and physical prototypes, that are emerging across the field of arts, design, food,
engineering, and architecture in Australia and New Zealand. These prototypes demonstrate how making is changing in the 21st century through advanced technology, novel techniques and
revitalisation of traditional craftsmanship. How we make define our milieu but most importantly, it provides us with glimpses into the future, one that is yet to come. Exhibition curated by Dr Paul Loh, Mond Qu and David Leggett. A virtual collection of the exhibition is hosted by the Melbourne School of Design. Longlisted for 2020 Dezeen
Award.
House 05 is designed for a narrow disused car park space within an urban context. The 'plant pot'
roof filled with sedum integrates greenery and contributes to the ecology of the site. To avoid the traditional terrace arrangement with a dark interior, a series of roof light brings daylight
into the interior. The first floor consists of a kitchen and dining area with a generous inside/outside terrace. The ground contains the most private spaces: the snug,
bedrooms, utilities and bathrooms. Central stairs punctured the floor to bring natural daylight into the heart of the house. The house is built inside-out where the interior walls are exposed
textured concrete to maximise the surface area acting as thermal mass to regulate the interior temperature passively — House #05 is under construction. The project is part of
Fabricate 2020 Conference at UCL, London.
Conceived as a black box sitting on a slope suburban context, House #26 is lined with an intricate veneer of custom brick robotically milled by Power to Make.
The project is under construction - follow us on Instagram for updates and stories about the project.
LLDS has recently completed a research project with the University of Melbourne titled, Parametric Adjustable Mould. The technology is adopted by a new spin-off company, Curvecrete. The technology developed at the University of Melbourne is invented by the two partners of LLDS: Paul Loh, and David Leggett.
House #13 (Zinc House) is a cluster of zinc cladded rooms that are raised from a brick base to form two dwellings. This project achieves a near-maximum building envelope for the 685 sq meter site; with a four-bedroom and a three-bedroom house. The organisation of volume on the site creates a series of courtyards, bringing light into the deepest part of the development and allowing for natural cross ventilation to both dwellings. House #13 was completed in 2018
Textile Cafe, 2017. The design is inspired by traditional charred timber housing in Naoshima, Japan. The chard timber produces a mute box frame with a linear row of Shibori dyed fabric to conceal the seating area much like the cosy and narrow street stalls in Shinjuku, Tokyo. Read more ...
Re-Imaging Imaginary Prisons is a VR project conducted in collaboration with UDMK. The project was exhibited at the NGV Triennial 2017 and shortlisted for the Arte Laguna Prize in Venice.