Sander Haugas

Since the beginning of the Industrial Age, forging has lost its relevance as a substantial contributor in architectural aesthetics. The role of a blacksmith in architecture has been marginalised from being a designer and a maker to being a restorer and an imitator. The focus of and practice in my master’s thesis research is the development of a set of forged connections in Architecturally Exposed Structural Steel (AESS). My reasons to get involved with the subject are as follows:
1. To discuss the relationships between architecture, structural engineering and craft. To emphasise and illustrate the added value gained for all parties through collaboration.
2. To develop new forging techniques.
3. By using modern steel profiles (hollow structural sections (HSS), H-beams, U- beams, I-beams, T-beams etc.) as my starting point, to create modern aesthetics in forging.
4. Last but not least, I aim to re-establish some constructive discussion and creative collaboration among architects and blacksmiths.

In the practical part of my thesis, I created a unique set of forging techniques and necessary tooling to blueprint a set of forged AESS connections. It is necessary to note that my work on developing forged steel connections for AESS is an attempt to conceive a technique rather than a scientific study of a technology. To develop a technology, it is essential to have a proper technique to build the technology on. Since, to my knowledge, the techniques for forging HSS (or other commonly used profiles in architecture) do not exist, this master thesis is an attempt to develop some of those techniques and give suggestions for further developments.
As an essential addition to this assertion, I am also describing a design collaboration of an architecturally exposed structural steel project. 40m x 3m x 6m (approximate) steel-framed terrace will be erected in Paljassaare, Tallinn as part of a renovation of an old industrial building which will house a complex of open studios for artists. My task for the project is to design and partially manufacture forged structural connections for the terrace.