This year we were given the honor of being the designers and makers of this prestigious yearly award: the Autodesk Design & Make Awards 2023, presented at the annual conference, Autodesk University.

This award, formerly known as the Autodesk Excellence Awards is given to “celebrate the people, projects and technologies behind exceptional contributions to architecture, engineering & construction; product design & manufacturing; media & entertainment; and education.” We were excited for the challenge of the design and fabrication, and are proud of how it came out. These were awarded to the participants in mid November, 2023 at Autodesk University

With the award description in mind, we knew it needed to incorporate multiple materials, married together beautifully using digital manufacturing techniques. Luckily this is what we do!

We also knew from conversations with the client, that this award needed to be functional. The desire was to have something that not only acts to recognizes the outstanding people and projects in the industry, but also gives those people a physical award that has function and delight.

With this charge we went through many design options of all shapes and scales and functions. We eventually landed on the “plinth” style that eneded up as the final design direction. We explored that plinth style through multiple iterations.

The prototyping phase involved creating with physical samples, refining the final size, functionality options and aesthetic.

Next came the material selections. We hand picked the wood for the plinth, choosing a local salvaged walnut. For the chassis we chose aluminum, for its infinite recyclability and easy machinability. For the logo top we chose a 3D printed SLA technique that we had sandblasted and then added integrated led light strips. Incorporating three kinds of manufacturing techniques for interest and to nod a bit to the industries represented for this award. Secret Weapon Workshop in Oakland did the majority of the CNC work, fabrication & assembly.

The final design with its integrated Qi charger, LED light on the soft, sandblasted 3D print, hardwood plinth with drawer and aluminum chassis with with carved names and logo - hits all the marks for this design through functionality, delight and design.