Duvall-Thompson Collaboration

This installation is the result of a collaboration between Cindy Thompson and her longtime friend Charles Duvall, of Duvall Design in Rockland, Maine. Until now, Transformit's outdoor structures have been only for temporary installation.

Prior to this, Cindy would have referred the client to Charles so they could work together directly. But this client is also an old friend of Cindy's, and she wanted to remain involved in the design and development of the project.

Jamie Staniscia and Alfred Famiglietti recently purchased a waterfront condo in Provincetown, Massachusetts. Jamie had been one of Cindy's high school art students (several years ago) and they have remained in touch. Jamie asked Cindy to design a shade structure for the deck of their condo.

Cindy said, "When people ask me about outdoor structures I usually talk to Charles because of his background, but I also pick him because he's artistic. Jamie's condo is highly visible from the beach and the arriving ferry. This structure is the only organic form on the beach, so it stands out. Jamie wanted something artistic."

Charles said, "This job was not easy. With a third floor deck, there could be no guy lines: the piece had to be attached to poles mounted to the deck railing. And there is constant wind to contend with."

It was a three-way collaboration between Cindy, Charles, and Jamie. Charles: "We got to sit together and discuss what we could do, and what they were comfortable with. There was much discussion about how the piece would interact with the building. We spent two days there, talking and getting to know each other, sharing food. We paid attention like it was a much bigger job." Cindy: "In order to do these things you need to collaborate, and the collaboration will make it all right. Disappointment comes when people don't really understand what is possible, what they're getting.

To develop the design, Charles and Cindy made scale models, each time increasing the scale. Charles: "Smaller pieces with lots of points have to be very precise. It worked perfectly, but there was a 50-50 chance of it not working. There weren't a lot of places where you could make up for a problem."

Here's what Alfred Famiglietti has to say about the installation:

"The white sail cloth awnings from Transformit give our seaside deck a natural and beautiful nautical appearance. They provide both sun and shade throughout the day. In the evening they give a romantic and comfortable feeling overhead."

Will Transformit and Duvall Design collaborate again? Charles: "We can do more projects like this, and we can do bigger projects if we collaborate. Artistry, build capability and outside resources are all needed. And together we have them."

Project details:
Residential outdoor shade structure
Clients: Jamie Stanscia and Alfred Famiglietti
Location: Provincetown, MA
Design: Charles Duvall and Cindy Thompson
Engineering: Charles Duvall, Duvall Design
Fabrication: Charles Duvall, Duvall Design
Installation: Charles Duvall and Jamie Stansicia
Materials: Stainless steel and Polyfab HDPE knitted FR shade cloth

Duvall Thompson collaboration 4 sq 255

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Duvall Thompson collaboration art 255Photo: i.c.e Juan Pisani