Giving Birth to Motherstructures
My name is Charlotta Janssen and I’m an artist and restaurant owner. 2020 was a hell of a year. When New York City indoor dining shut down, my restaurant team and I were struggling to create a viable outdoor dining solution. Tents were a nightmare and wood was costly and cumbersome. I wanted to create something that was affordable, strong, and modular and could transport my staff and customers to a more beautiful place. I looked to Hector Guimard (designer of the Paris Metro) for inspiration, which helped me come up with the solution: An Art Nouveau winter garden meets an outdoor dining shed for modern times.
Modular one of a kind structures
We create infinitely versatile designs that expand capacity and bring a unique flair to our client’s spaces.
Extraordinary structures from ordinary parts
Our proprietary system makes innovative use of simple, everyday materials that are fast and easy to assemble but stand up to any weather conditions.
Discover the possibilities
Our influences range from insect wings to the original Penn Station. The modularity of our system makes it possible to make the most fantastical concepts a reality.
FAQs
Yes, they are extremely stable. In structural engineering, this type of construction is known as tensile structures. Because the grid is ultra-light and supported by rigid, bending elements, it’s held together by forces of tension and compression that make it very strong. The even distribution of weight also allows the structure to withstand powerful storms and carry heavy loads (more than 40 lbs per square foot) without breaking. And, if, by some kind of freak accident, a part of it would break, only a small section would be impacted while the rest of the construction would hold.
The assembly process is very simple and therefore very fast. Of course, the time of construction depends on the size of the structure, but a canopy is typically built within days. A larger covered courtyard usually takes a couple of weeks.
Yes! There’s hardly any waste because you can calculate and cut the material with great precision. It is also easy to modify and adapt the design of the structures using existing materials. The minimal waste and reusability also make the systems cost-effective.
The first step is to get in touch with us to start a conversation [hyperlink “start a conversation” to Get Started page]. From there, we will set a budget and timeline and then research your space to present a customized design concept. Once we have aligned on the vision, we will create a blueprint and build your Motherstructure from scratch onsite.