■Kikukawa’s Craftsmanship for Stainless Steel Constructions and Dual Curving

A giant metal monument is hung at the atrium of the new building, Building Number 1, within the Chukyo University Nagoya Campus. Kikukawa contributed to the metal construction of this monument named the ‘Leg and Egg of a Pterosaur’.
From the beginning of the project, this giant monument was planned to be crafted in stainless steel in an oval (egg) shape. Kikukawa’s involvement in the project began when the designer consulted our team having known our achievements in the past in stainless steel constructions and our dual curving craftsmanship.
Even the final details such as the finish were determined from various samples upon the designer’s visitation to Kikukawa’s factory in Chiba.

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■Detailed Design that Balances Project Requirements and High Quality

The detailed design process began by studying the model of the monument in the atelier. Kikukawa’s team from detailed design, fabrication, and installation was involved from this stage to implement a product that fully satisfies the designer’s requirements that also maintains high quality.
The ‘Egg of a Pterosaur’ is designed to be 5m long, 2.4m high, the maximum size that could be loaded on the truck. Despite the hanging structure of the monument, it is 1.2ton in weight thus the strength of the wire, structural base, and suspended base was carefully calculated.
In designing the panels, the metal crafting methodology of the dual-curved pieces and their unitization was studied, reviewed, and reflected in the 3D-CAD drawings. These data values were directly translated into our metalwork.

■Dual Curving and Silky Blast

The stainless-steel panels are crafted from 5.0mm thick sheets. The sharp edges of the cutouts and openings emphasize the stately ambiance.
The nozzles at both ends of the egg are crafted by drawing and pressing. The stainless panels connecting these nozzles are crafted from spirally cut-out sheets dual-curved into the curvature in line with the 3D data with expert craftsmanship. The joints were welded but are virtually invisible given the location of the welding and the streamlined oval shape.
The stainless steel panels are consistently finished with Kikukawa’s Silky Blast. As the dual curving and the shaping process were necessary before the finishing process, the blasting was achieved by handheld blasting tools.

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■Moire Pattern with Perforations

The perforated panels are crafted from 2.0mm aluminium and finished with gold bespoke paint.
Moire effects (interference patterns) were deliberately generated by shifting the two perforated layered panels. As the light passes through the overlapping patterns, both the original perforations and the moire effect highlight the uniqueness of this monument.

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■Metal Monument that Creates Dreams, Values, and Beauty

By combining years of expertise such as dual curving, craftsmanship, and cutting-edge technology, this monument was built without compromise. Our craftsmanship and attitude were highly regarded by the designer and led to the implementation of a design concept.
The ‘Leg and Egg of a Pterosaur’ is a metal monument that embodies Kikukawa’s management philosophy, ‘the creation of dreams, values, and beauty.’