​​Meet the lamp crafted from the least amount of material

With its layered heights being reminiscent of growth patterns found in nature – Chicago-based Noah Taylor fabricates a ‘Shell Lamp’ brilliantly showcasing how 3D-printed PLA can be both structural and active.

In an ongoing global environmental crisis – consumer 3D printers are the solution to consolidate our used materials as we enter the stage of recyclable bioplastic.  

“It’s important that we give new qualities to these simplistic materials, boosting the repertoire of our tools. If both structure and beauty can be produced by the same substance – we have then limited our emissions to a single source” says Taylor.

Putting his own alluring spin on a natural material light source – he wanted to further the conversation between human and software collaboration. 

His goal for this luminous product is to elevate the artistic control of material-maximizing life structures and expand the functionality of 3D-printed plastics. 

“My inspiration began as I observed the recent popularity of salt and wicker lamps. Rather than simply being a source of light – they act more like modern candles emitting less light than a standard desk lamp. They behave like sculptures” he adds. 

Using as little material as possible, this dynamic object with its minimal surface is seamlessly designed with cellular structures found in shells and bone – creating the strongest shape to be achieved. 

Diffusion of light hence effortlessly occurs through the natural channels of this hybrid products structure.