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A Concrete Vase Inspired by Niemeyer’s Palácio de Alvorada

04.03.15 | By
A Concrete Vase Inspired by Niemeyer’s Palácio de Alvorada

Dutch designer Gert-Jan Soepenberg designed a concrete vase inspired by Oscar Niemeyer’s Palácio da Alvorada, the official residence of the President of Brazil. The vase, which is #1 in a new series of architecture-inspired vases, is made of rotation molded concrete.

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Normally, rotation molding is used for plastics, but Soepenberg built a custom machine that allowed him to create incredibly thin concave shapes for his vases. He coats each of the vases with an acrylic resin to make them watertight.

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I have abstracted the Palácio de Alvorada’s strongest shape into a vase that captures the spirit of the building.

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Caroline Williamson is Editor-in-Chief of Design Milk. She has a BFA in photography from SCAD and can usually be found searching for vintage wares, doing New York Times crossword puzzles in pen, or reworking playlists on Spotify.