ARCHITECTURAL STUDY 02 // CONFLEUENCE
Corporate Atrium • Executive Breakout Lounge • Rotational Focal Point
THE ARCHITECTURAL BRIEF
Issued by: Lead Workplace Strategy & Corporate Interior Architecture Studio (Global HQ Atrium / Executive Concourse)
A symmetrical, warm toned corporate atrium and executive waiting concourse anchored by a clean monolithic feature wall, darkened timber flooring, and flanking low-profile, tactile woven lounge seating.
The expansive horizontal span of the feature wall and the low, grounded silhouette of the dual lounge daybeds create a quiet, static horizontal emphasis. The space requires a commanding central anchor that introduces vertical lift and dynamic movement without disrupting the warm, understated acoustic and material calm of the room.
The artwork must echo the organic, woven tactility of the furniture while elevating the space with a refined, luminous metallic presence that responds to the overhead architectural grazing light. Placed directly between primary seating zones in a high traffic corporate environment, both the delicate gilt surface and the low plinth must be engineered to withstand close range inspection and commercial facility maintenance.
A unique focal sculpture with an integrated bronze plinth specification, floor loading calculations, and 3D BIM/proxy meshes for client lighting and sightline sign off.
STUDIO RESPONSE & DESIGN RATIONALE
Spatial & Formal Counterbalance
Positioned on the central axis between the flanking lounge seating, Confluence presents a commanding circular silhouette that breaks the strict horizontal plane of the atrium. Four sweeping, logarithmic spiral bands converge toward a tight central singularity, generating a sense of quiet, continuous rotational torque. Alternating between smooth, convex ribbon geometry and deeply incised, organic rippled channels, the form bridges the clean minimalism of the plaster wall and the rich, corded texture of the adjacent seating.
Surface & Patina Engineering
Cast in silicon bronze (C65500) via our autographic lost wax process, Confluence is finished in a bespoke white gold gilt over the warm bronze substrate. Under the overhead architectural spotlight, the smooth spiral bands reflect a soft, champagne-silver luminance, while the deeply textured, wave carved channels catch grazing shadows and reveal subtle warm undertones of the underlying silicon bronze.
Public Realm Plinth & Sealing
The disc is poised at a minimal tangent point upon a low, monolithic bronze plinth finished with a deep, rich iron and graphite patina. The dark, velvety mineral absorption of the base visually grounds the assembly against the timber floor and creates a dramatic tonal counterpoint that makes the gilded sphere appear weightless. A recessed floor shadow gap sharpens the architectural transition, while an architectural grade 2K matte polyurethane coating protects both the white gold gilding and the graphite patina from skin oils, abrasion and commercial cleaning protocols.
IN-HOUSE SPATIAL & LIGHTING SIMULATION
Untextured 3D architectural clay model produced in-house to verify axial symmetry, overhead grazing light falloff across the carved relief channels and plinth proportions relative to the flanking low-slung seating prior to manufacture. CAD/BIM proxy meshes available for client integration.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION // ARCHITECTURAL STUDY 02 // CONFLUENCE
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Sculpture Dimensions — H 1800mm × W 1800mm × D 380mm (Indicative — adjustable to atrium elevation)
Plinth Dimensions — H 350mm × W 1100mm × D 450mm (incorporating an integrated recessed sub-base to achieve a clean floor shadow gap)
Overall Installed Height — H 2150mm (Finished floor level to top edge)
Scale Flexibility — Digital pattern architecture allows bespoke scaling across any dimension to suit specific atrium sightlines, furniture clearances, and ceiling heights.
Estimated Weight — 115 kg (Cast Silicon Bronze Sculpture) / 85 kg (Fabricated Bronze Plinth)
Combined Dead Load — 200 kg
Floor Interface & Protection — Fitted with heavy-duty, high-density compressed felt or non-marking neoprene load pads at each recessed sub-base corner, protecting finished timber or stone atrium flooring while preventing moisture transfer during commercial floor maintenance.
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Primary Alloy — High-Grade Silicon Bronze (C65500, >4% Si), offering exceptional structural tensile strength, crisp surface fidelity across the fine rippled relief channels, and superior stability. (Alternative specification available in Phosphor Bronze, Nickel Bronze, or 316L Marine-Grade Stainless Steel).
Casting Method — Direct Autographic Lost-Wax Investment Casting (4mm–6mm nominal wall thickness). The 3D-printed master pattern and ceramic shell are completely destroyed during the burnout and pouring cycle, guaranteeing a certifiable Pièce Unique (1/1) original.
Structural Welding & Chasing — Multi-part cast sections are joined via precision TIG welding using parent-metal Silicon Bronze filler rods, followed by meticulous hand-chasing across both the smooth ribbons and organic striated valleys to ensure zero visible seam lines.
Authentication — Hand-inscribed on the lower return edge with studio signature, PU (Pièce Unique), 1/1, and permanent studio archive reference number.
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Sculpture Finish (White Gold Gilt over Silicon Bronze) — Following fine abrasive surface preparation and subtle chemical toning of the parent bronze, 12-carat to 16-carat white gold leaf is selectively applied and burnished over the silicon bronze substrate. This creates a warm, silvery-champagne lustre that shifts dynamically under directional atrium lighting, allowing the deep texture of the cast bronze to read clearly without harsh specular glare.
Plinth Patina (Deep Iron & Graphite) — The bronze base is treated with a hot-applied ferric nitrate and liver of sulphur chemical foundation to build a dense, dark iron oxide base, followed by hand-burnished natural graphite medium. This yields a deep, anisotropic charcoal-iron finish with a subtle metallic sheen on the crisp architecture.
Corporate-Grade Sealant — Both the gilded sphere and the graphite-patinated bronze plinth are encapsulated in an architectural two-part (2K) matte polyurethane clear coat. This preserves the delicate metallic leaf and prevents graphite transfer while providing a non-porous barrier impervious to public touch, skin oils, UV degradation, and commercial housekeeping protocols.
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Plinth Construction — 5mm Silicon Bronze plate fabricated over a heavy-duty 316L stainless steel internal box-section structural armature, TIG-welded and dressed to crisp architectural corners before patination and 2K sealing.
Concealed Cantilever/Tangent Securement — Because the circular form meets the plinth at a narrow lower tangent, the internal stainless steel structural frame extends upward from the plinth into the lower cavity of the bronze disc via twin high-tensile stainless steel spigot bosses and a central M30 threaded tie-rod. This completely eliminates rotational play or tipping moment while keeping all mechanical fixings invisible.
Floor Interface — The internal plinth frame includes pre-drilled baseplates for optional mechanical anchoring into structural concrete sub-slabs (for seismic zones or unmonitored public concourses) or high-density neoprene isolation pads for freestanding installation over finished timber flooring. Full FEA (Finite Element Analysis) structural and centre-of-gravity data supplied upon commission sign-off. -
Bespoke Export Crating — Heat-treated, ISPM-15 certified structural timber for unrestricted international air and sea freight.
Internal Suspension & Protection — The gilded sculpture and bronze plinth travel in custom-contoured, high-density closed-cell Ethafoam cradles with zero-abrasion Tyvek contact wraps, moisture-barrier lining, and mechanical base bolting so the gilded and patinated surfaces remain completely untouched during transit.
Documentation & Installation Pack — Dispatches with a comprehensive Unpacking, Physical Handling & Installation Manual, lifting-strap diagram, Certificate of Authenticity, and Surface Maintenance Schedule.
Indicative Production Lead Time — 12 to 16 Weeks from formal CAD sign-off and patina/gilt coupon approval to ex-works dispatch (North Norfolk, UK studio and foundry)
