Look under the Nomos table to see how one design became a system

A detail of the Nomos table frame designed by Norman Foster and produced by Tecno. AXIS supplied the photograph for its One to one exhibition announcement. Nomos, Tecno © Peter Strobel, supplied by AXIS via PR TIMES. AXIS image source · Reporting terms.

Peter Strobel’s photograph of the Nomos table starts underneath the surface. A yellow tube runs across the frame. Dark fasteners mark where angled supports meet it. AXIS uses that detail in the material for One to one, its Foster + Partners Industrial Design exhibition listed to open on 13 November in Tokyo. Follow those connections and it becomes easier to see how one design could support a family of tables. Exhibition listing.

Start with the studio table

Tecno’s timeline traces Nomos back to a handmade table that Norman Foster designed for his own studio in the 1980s. Only a few early examples were made, including for the Renault Centre in Swindon. In Tecno’s account, the move into prototypes and production turned the support under that surface into a platform for several versions. Tecno timeline.

Follow the support before comparing the surfaces

Tecno’s product documentation shows how far that idea was taken: the maker lists individual and shared workstations as well as meeting tables. Read those as configurations of the system. Strobel’s photograph isolates the parts that carry the top, making the connection points easier to see. It shows a detail, so use the drawings and specifications for a particular configuration if you need its dimensions or equipment. Tecno’s system description.

Try the same method with another piece of furniture. Find the part doing the supporting, then follow where other pieces meet it. Ask which parts stay the same across the maker’s different layouts. If you are comparing layouts for a UK or African workspace, get the drawing and parts list for the version you can actually source. The family name alone gives you no measurements for the version on offer.

See how the exhibition moves between scales

AXIS says the show ranges from furniture and lighting to building systems and infrastructure. It lists free admission in Roppongi from 13 to 29 November. The daily hours are 11:00–19:00 local time, with a 17:00 close on 29 November. Readers outside Tokyo can start with the exhibition listing and Tecno’s documentation. AXIS announcement. For another example of reading a design through the spaces and structures that support it, see the PING story on Lion Green Road.