In this video the founders of Londons studio Tonkin Liu delve into their design of a medical stent with an expanding lace-like structure, which has recently received a patent.

Produced by photographer Jim Stephenson, the film guides viewers through the design process behind the throat stent for patients who have had tracheal transplant surgery.

The C-shaped splint, which was first revealed by Tonkin Liu in 2018, is an adaption of the studio's structural technology named the shell lace structure.

Unlike the tubular mesh stents commonly used after surgery on the windpipe, it has been developed to expand and fit the individual shape of each person's trachea, preventing it from slipping.

In the video, Tonkin Liu's co-founder Anna Liu explains how this design takes cues from "geometry from nature".

Liu's co-founder Mike Tonkin adds that it demonstrates how "architecture can expand and become a broader remit".

"Although we really like go beyond architecture, we'd like the idea that actually the architects can think beyond architecture themselves and become more useful to society," he concludes.

Find out more about the stent here ›

The video is by Jim Stephenson.