As custodians of their craft, Bankston have proudly established a series of product collaborations with studios that champion innovative design.
Casts is the latest in this series and serves as an artful collaboration with multi-award-winning Melbourne architecture practice Edition Office. The collection of levers, pulls, a snib, and a hook continues an exploration of expression and form while articulating the relationship between person and place.
With a unique identity and robust physicality, the Casts statement collection does not compete with architecture or interior design; instead, serves to enhance. Casts engages design at the utilitarian – honouring craft, material, tactility, and ratio.
Launched in 2016 by Kim Bridgland and Aaron Roberts, Edition Office is the result of a design shorthand which enabled clarity in design concepts and outcomes. The practice was named with the intent that each building, object, design, or event would be seen as an ‘edition’ within a broader body of work. Key to their practice is collaboration – which includes works for the National Gallery of Victoria and Canberra War Memorial.
Together, Bankston and Edition Office saw an opportunity to do something unique in the market, inviting innovation to the current state of the architectural hardware industry – a test of ground-breaking, risk-taking craft.
“Casts by Bankston Architectural + Edition Office is a judicious edit of geometry and form. The curated collection of architectural hardware has a clear identity, with each piece sharing linked language and typology.”
Kim Bridgland and Aaron Roberts, Directors – Edition Office
The sandcasting technique used in the manufacture of Casts is a venerated artisanal process. Through their journey, the collaboration pieces are left with pitting and pour marks to embody a physicality akin to handcrafted sculptures. The unique surface texture serves as a physical timestamp of the fabrication itself.
Within its statement form, Lever 01 celebrates an uncanny junction – the delight in the joint and the proportion of the cantilever. A long handle juts out from the small cylindric form, connecting to the base, continuing character beyond the expected. This generous expression is juxtaposed in a minimal thickness, anchoring at the joint.
Lever 02 continues an unflinching experimentation, using timeless metals and processes to reinterpret the ordinary, resulting in a bold piece. A long handle sits upon the small cylindric structure, appearing to balance; the minimalist rod lends itself to the user, an invitation to connect.
Pull 01 gives a nod to brutalist architecture, the cylindric monolithic form is celebrated in the distinct colour of the metals, the bright hues of Bronze, a darkened patinated Bronze, or the stark silver of Aluminium. The monolithic nature of the pull, a forceful object, sits at the crux of construction, transcending risk-taking in design. Designed to sit flush against a surface, this piece embodies restraint and proportion. It is simple, elegant and robust.
Pull 02 continues the narrative in a longer form, furthering editions as a larger version of Pull 01, creating striking impact. The simple, elegant design is juxtaposed through the increased scale, spanning the length of the door. Its minimalist yet commanding aesthetic invites multiple moments, provoking attention back to the connection of touch through repetition.
Seeking reduction, Pull 03 plays with geometry, the cavity slider continuing the shared typology of the collection – a balance of practicality and design expression. A suitable place to rest fingers to pull, the depth of the recessed pull considers the user experience. Pull 03 is bold in its semi-circle shape, the half plate displaying a surface rich with evidence of the sandcasting methodology. It allows for a playful cut in the door and a practical door pull function.
For Pull 04, Edition Office turns a simple design moment into an active sculpture. Here an everyday action is a conscious one – a simple recess, enough for the hand. Minimal and clean, the products praise understated beauty through shape, form, expression and function.
Designed for intimate moments, the robe hook entices the user through a simple yet bold design language, displaying a small recess, an opening and invitation. In a simple formal gesture, the cylinder reveals an inverted vault to form a hanging point, a vision of design as art and function.
The Snib is an active engagement of tactility, repeating the cylindric typology, its minimal scale connecting to a wider design language. The snib reveals a simple turning gesture that heroes reduction and utility in design. The compact cylinder operates the fastening; the open and closed positions continue the minimalist aesthetic in either action — a joy and satisfaction to be discovered.
These sandcasted escutcheons showcase the unique materials used for Casts. They will pair with all levers in the Casts collection.
In designing Casts, Edition Office considered the aspects of buildings that are most touched or held. Door hardware is linked to some of the key moments of interaction with a space. These moments indicate the passage of time, and thought was given to the fact that the materials chosen for the hardware can age with intention alongside the space they are situated in. Edition Office designed Casts for these key moments to be more tactile and unique. The Casts forms are intended to feel pleasing in the hand, delicate yet solid.
Edition Office looked to art, architecture, and furniture design for inspiration. Seeking reduction, the pieces within the collaboration impart a collective character and identity. Judicious editing of geometries ensure a considered ratio and size of intersecting forms. From a functional point of view, the pieces are simple and effortless, and when utilised, they enhance the tactile and formal nature of the hardware.
Raw Bronze and Aluminium were meaningfully selected as materials for the Casts collection as they are highly durable, but also undergo a marked evolution in their character over time. These materials will also integrate harmoniously into a landscape, enriching it and enhancing territorial continuity. Bronze and Aluminium are comprised of 100% recycled alloy, limiting impacts to the environment by reducing unsustainable energy expenditure during extraction. Aluminium is also a leading choice in the use of more sustainable metals. Light but sturdy and resistant to corrosion, it has the unique ability to be recycled indefinitely.
The sandcasting technique used in the manufacture of Casts is a venerated artisanal process. Through their journey, the collaboration pieces are left with pitting and pour marks to embody a physicality akin to handcrafted sculptures. The unique surface texture serves as a physical timestamp of the fabrication itself.
The raw long-lasting, hard-wearing Bronze material exposes the distinctive earthy hue, contextualising the minimal process. The bright surface texture oscillates between a vivid metallic gold and deeper ochre tone. Left to oxidise, as it darkens it reveals a lived history and takes on a new form.
Bronze will patina particularly at frequent points of contact and can include a variety of tonal changes. Bronze will also naturally darken and may develop a verdigris depending on its environment.
For the Patinated Bronze finish, an oil rubbing of the existing Bronze gives an aged appearance, darkening the vibrant Bronze colour into a rich organic hue.
This chemically-aged finish will wear over time, and will feature lighter areas at points of contact where the Bronze has been rubbed back to a golden tone.
Aluminium reveals a simplicity with an unexpected and clean tone, delivered with minimal intervention. Selected for its ability to add depth and character to a space, Aluminium also offers longevity and adaptability. Highly versatile, the material complements natural interior environments but also shines in contemporary and industrial aesthetics. The sandcasting process is highlighted and celebrated through the silver tone of the surface, though the pitted and poured marks remain adding character and texture.
Casts by Bankston + Edition Office has been recognised in the internationally renowned IDA Design Awards as a Gold Winner in the Home Interior Products – Windows & Doors Category and a winner of the IF Design Awards 2023 in the category of Home Furniture & Decoration. Casts has also been awarded Gold in the 2023 Melbourne Design Awards.
Check out Bankston + Edition Office Casts Collection featured in the media.
