I have been doing more work on this conceptual project that originated in one of my Thesis support classes (ADGM-620 with Ammar Eloueini at Tulane).

This whole project has brought up issues around the boundary between art and architecture - it is originally conceived of as a structural system, but it works well as art due to the inherent aesthetic value and the pleasing aspects of self-similarity and emergence in the structure.  Part of me wants to mount it on a white box in an interesting shape, do 4 more and call it a series of sculpture, part of me wants to use it to create a large-scale form or structure with some kind of shape and function. 

I imagine that I will end up doing both and letting the piece diverge as necessary to fulfill the needs of the space and program. The radical realization here comes from the fact that in art, there is still a context, a function, and a need, but they are aesthetic and conceptual instead of the hard needs such as shelter, protection, and function that dominate architecture.

The piece is spring steel and rivets. Weaving the pattern together was incredibly complex and took several tries to be able to rivet the whole thing without getting "trapped" in any one area.

Surprisingly, none of this was done in a parametric program - it is all folded paper and 2D drawings in Rhino.

Sketching is a crucial part of any Architect's skillset, and that is no different on the fabrication side of things. I wanted to share a few sketches with the archinect community as they often look much different than traditional conceptual or space planning sketches I was doing in school. All the... View full entry

I posted last week on Volkan Alkanoglu’s sculptural installation for Cedar Rapids, IA. This week we continue with progress shots of fabrication.   After braking and indexing, the pieces were TIG welded to the backer plates which mount on the wall. The alloy used is 5052-H32 Aluminum... View full entry

Mesa Verde     This past fall, I took an extended weekend to go see the ruins at Mesa Verde. I am just now getting caught up on all my personal projects and essays, so with that, I bring you this. Mesa Verde is a series of cliff dwelling spread throughout the Southwestern corner of... View full entry

Recently at the studio, the owner of Demiurge and myself were discussing this amazing interview of Rives Rash by Aaron Willette on his  Archinect blog ( www.archinect.com/blog/article/56381985/shop-talk-rives-rash ) and I sketched this out to help visualize the issues we were... View full entry

Demiurge just received the processed material for fabrication of Volkan Alkanoglu’s sculpture for the Convention Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. This is an exciting project for us as Volkan represents an emerging breed of public artist who apply rigorous design processes, material... View full entry

Let’s talk about materials. Basalt is an extrusive igneous rock with an extremely fine material structure, making it largely homogenous. When heated to 1500 degrees Centigrade and extruded through very fine holes, basalt produces a fibrous filament, similar to carbon fibers or glass fibers... View full entry

Demiurge LLC. recently installed this piece by Osman Akan in Anchorage Alaska as part of a new forensic crime laboratory. This is a good way to get a feel for what a piece of this size requires in terms of fabrication and logistics in design, modelling, fabrication, planning, shipping, and... View full entry

Fragmenta Build and Installation, Anchorage, AK

My name is Nick Cecchi, I am the Lead Designer at Demiurge LLC, a small Sculpture and Architecture fabrication firm. I received my M.Arch in 2010 from Tulane University of New Orleans after which I did a little interning and bounced around until I landed with this atelier. I have always excelled... View full entry