Cat Cubic Series by Lei Du

If the client were a cat

2022-05-12

项目标签

设计公司: :; Lei Du SHAOSHU Atelier
位置: :; China
类型: :; Design
材料: :; Paper Fabric 3D printing
分类: :; Animal related projects Product Design Furniture Industry Design

感谢杜雷（Contact e-mail：1174308901@qq.com）予gooood的分享。更多关于：Lei Du on gooood
Appreciations towards Lei Du（Contact e-mail：1174308901@qq.com）for providing the following description:

猫立方系列是养猫之后对自家小猫日常行为思考所做的空间实验，它可以看做是小猫的日常玩具，但又不仅仅只是玩具，设计上采用40cm正立方体形式，40cm既可以容纳一只猫同时也是家具中茶几座椅的常用尺度，因此它除了满足玩具属性，还可以通过功能延展成为日常家居提升幸福感的一部分，猫立方试图同时吸引人与猫的注意，为人与猫的互动提供新的媒介。

Cat Cubic Series is a space experiment based on my thoughts about daily behaviors of my cat after raising it. It can be seen as a daily toy of cats but not just a toy. The design takes the form of cube with 40 cm in the side length, which not only can accommodate a cat but also is the common size of tea tables and seats in furniture. Therefore, it can not only meet the attribute as a toy, but also be a part of daily domestic life to improve happiness through functional expansion. The trial design drawing makes the product attract the attention of both people and cats, which provides a new medium for interactions between them.

▼项目概览，Overview © 杜雷

▼关于小猫日常活动的空间实验， spatial experiment on kitten’s daily behavior © 杜雷

猫立方·瓦楞纸
Cat Cubic Series · Corrugated Papers

瓦楞纸方案的设计起因来源于一次网购的快递纸箱，最初小猫经常在纸箱里躲藏，当有人从旁边经过小猫会从纸箱的开口伸出爪子假装偷袭，这便发现了与自家小猫玩耍的全新方式，于是快递纸箱开了更多洞口，人在外面敲击纸箱小猫通过声音判断偷袭方位，这种简单的游戏对于小猫来说总是乐此不疲。

快递纸箱虽然简单易得，但时间一长终究会因为与家居生活格格不入而被当做垃圾丢弃，因此决定用瓦楞纸设计一款猫玩具，使其既能保留瓦楞纸箱给人与猫互动带来的愉悦，又能给居住空间装点些许新的活力。

The design of corrugated paper plan originated from the express carton in one of my online shopping experiences. At first, my cat often hid itself in it. When someone passed by, it would stretch its claw out and pretend to carry out a sneak attack, which made me find a brand new method to play with my cat. Then, I opened more holes on the carton. When someone knocked the carton outside it, the cat could judge the position of sneak attack through sound. Cats always enjoy this kind of simple game.

Although an express carton is easy to get, it will be incompatible with domestic life and disposed as a waste after a long time. Therefore, I decided to design a toy for cats with corrugated paper which can not only retain pleasure brought by a corrugated carton to interactions between people and cats but also add new vitality to our living space.

▼猫立方·瓦楞纸方案，Cat Cubic Series · Corrugated Papers © 杜雷

设计上采用瓦楞纸板堆叠形成立方体，立方体内部掏空作为小猫在里面活动的主要空间，再对内外之间进行不同大小的开洞，在满足进出、窥视、偷袭等各种活动需要的同时也为外部的观看者提供了不同的观察角度，表面的洞口做成内凹用以强化由外部向内的观看趋势，同时对未开洞的平面区域进行留缝处理，这样立面层次更加丰富，内部光影也更具变化。对于瓦楞纸的拼装方式，经过多次尝试最终采用杆件穿孔两端金属板固定的形式，这相对于胶粘更加环保且易于拼装，同时对瓦楞纸的持续更换提供可能。

The design adopts corrugated papers to stack up to a cube with its interior emptied as the main activity space for cats in it. Then, it opens holes with different sizes on its internal and external surfaces, which can not only meet various activities of cats such as going in and out, peeping, and sneak attacks, but also provide different perspectives of observation for external viewers. Holes on surfaces are made in a concave form to strengthen the trend to watch the interior from the exterior. Meanwhile, the plane area without holes is handled with gaps to enrich the layer of facade and make the internal light and shadow more changeable. As to the assembling method of corrugated papers, the design finally adopts the method to perforate the rod with metal plates fixed at both ends after many attempts, which not only is more environmentally friendly than the adhesive method and easy to assemble, but also provide the possibility for the sustainable replacement of corrugated paper.

▼“偷袭”游戏，Sneak attack © 杜雷

▼瓦楞纸方案两端用金属板固定，The cube is fixed with metal plates at both ends © 杜雷

▼内凹洞口，Concave opening © 杜雷

猫立方·弹力布
Cat Cubic Series · Elastic Fabric

弹力布的方案构思开始于每次整理衣物小猫都会钻到衣服里将自己隐藏，又或者每次打开衣柜它都会迫不及待的钻进去躲在衣服后面，这种行为跟人类幼年时期非常类似，不由得想到小时候也经常悄悄地躲在角落等待父母发现，这种行为的乐趣大概就在于角落赋予的安全感能够对外部环境加以掌控以及被发现的那一刻所制造的惊喜。

The conception of elastic fabric plan started from the behavior of my cat that it always gets into my clothes to hide itself every time I put them in order, or it cannot wait to get in and hide itself behind clothes every time I open my wardrobe. The behavior is very similar to that of human in childhood. Therefore, I can’t help thinking of my experience that I used to hide in a corner and wait for my parents to find when I was a child. The pleasure of this behavior maybe lie in that the sense of security provided by a corner to control the external environment and the surprise created by the moment when found.

▼猫立方·弹力布方案，Cat Cubic Series · Elastic Fabric © 杜雷

因此决定再次从材料出发，用纺织布料设计一款猫玩具，相对于普通无弹布料，弹力布料具有更好的变形能力，通过对布料的拉伸扭曲可以形成更加丰富有机的空间形态，同时由于拉伸受力的不同，布料表面会呈现出不同透明度的渐变效果。那么拉伸力从何而来？设计上采用了40cm正立方体框架，通过垫片和螺丝将布料在框架上固定。布料和框架均为黑色，用以强化小猫在其中躲藏穿梭的神秘感。

Therefore, I decided to start from materials and design a toy for cats with textile fabric. Compared with ordinary inelastic fabric, elastic fabric is equipped with a better deformation capacity. The stretching and combination of elastic fabric can form a richer and organic spatial form; meanwhile, due to the difference of tensile force, the surface of elastic fabric will show a gradient effect of different transparency. So where does the tensile force come from? The design takes a cube with 40 cm in the side length as its framework, and the elastic fabric is fixed on the framework by hexagon socket head cap screws and gaskets. Both framework and fabric are black to strengthen the sense of mystery when cats hide and shuttle in it.

▼不同透明度的渐变效果，Gradient effect with different transparency © 杜雷

▼小猫在内部穿梭，The kitten shuttles inside © 杜雷

在实际使用的过程中，小猫的动作接触让弹力布料发生进一步形变，从空间的角度来看，正是因为形变的存在，我们对它的感知才更为强烈。

In the process of actual use, the contact by actions of cats will make the elastic fabric further deformed. From the perspective of space, it is due to the existence of deformation that we can have stronger perception of it.

▼小猫探头环视，The kitten lean out its head and look around © 杜雷

▼弹力布方案细部，Detailed view © 杜雷

猫立方·3D打印
Cat Cubic Series · 3D Printing

瓦楞纸和弹力布的方案都是基于材料本身的特性去做的空间尝试，3D打印更多关注的是技术层面。3D打印产品虽然在大多数人的日常生活并不多见，但3D打印的常规技术已经比较成熟，目前3D打印多用在模型制作以及机械零件的加工，它的高精度可以为设计呈现更多细节，它特殊的加工方式在省时省力的同时可以实现更加复杂的设计想法。因此决定运用3D打印做一次有趣的空间尝试。

Plans of corrugated paper and elastic fabric are spatial attempts based on characteristics of materials themselves, while 3D printing pays more attention to technology. Although 3D printing is not common in daily life of most people, its normal technology has been relatively mature. At present, the technology is mainly applied for the making of models and the processing of mechanical parts. Its high precision can show more details for design, while its special processing method can not only save time and labor but also realize more complex design ideas. Therefore, I decide to apply 3D printing to make an interesting spatial attempt.

▼猫立方·3D打印方案，Cat Cubic Series · 3D Printing © 杜雷

对于空间本身的设计是基于小猫喜欢在狭小空间来回穿梭的行为，狭小空间给予安全感，穿梭的路径符合小猫好奇的天性，所以如何在40cm立方体内实现更多的空间转折成了设计需要解决的主要问题。经过反复思考决定采用极小曲面作为空间原型，极小曲面是一种逻辑严谨可无限延展的曲面形式，它看似简洁所形成的内部路径却转折分叉错综复杂。将极小曲面缩放到适宜小猫穿梭的尺度，用40cm立方体进行裁切，之后对立面进行修补优化便得到了基本的空间形态。为了增加设计的质感同时体现3D打印技术的优势所在，设计对表面增加了三角形的凹凸肌理，这在极小曲面的形态下若用常规加工手段将会极其难以实现，因此3D打印技术也成了最优的解决方案。

The design of space itself is based on the fact that cats like to shuttle back and forth in a narrow and small space. The space can provide a sense of security for cats, while the path of shuttle accords with their curious nature. Therefore, it becomes the main problem to be solved in design how to realize more spatial turns in a cube with 40 cm in the side length. through repeated thinking, I decide to adopt the minimal surface as the space prototype. The minimal surface is a kind of surface form with rigorous logic that can be extended indefinitely. It looks simple but its internal path is zigzag and intricate. The design scales the minimal surface to the size suitable for cats to shuttle, cuts a cube with 40 cm in the side length, and then repairs and optimizes facades to obtain a basic spatial form. To increase the texture of design and show the advantage of 3D printing, the design adds triangular concave-convex texture on its surface, which is extremely difficult to be realized by ordinary processing methods in the form of minimal surface. Therefore, 3D printing technology becomes the optimal solution.

▼内部空间视角，View of interior Space © 杜雷