experimentadesign lisboa 2009

digital primitive #2: iterative design
digital primitive - caterina tiazzoldi + eduardo benamor duarte

digital primitive extended is an installation that presents the work of a group of architects, designers and manufacturers in new york, representing a conceptual and productive reality in the city.

they are digital because they are the first generation of new york designers and architects graduated in a context characterized by digital modeling techniques and computer numerical control (CNC) manufacturing. they are primitive because they have to provide an answer to the limitations posed by a city like new york.

lúcio has been invited to present current research as part of the digital primitive installation in the cais do sodré underground metro station.

FACETED | FIBROUS | STRUCTURES is a research endeavor focusing on producing complex double-curved structural geometries using standard planar materials assembled together in linear strips. When a material is folded its bending strength is increased parallel to the fold. Using ancient paper folding techniques (origami) as inspiration, the concept of folding flat metal sheets allows one to triangulate geometries and generate long volumetric folded strips that can then be assembled together to create structural ribs.

The apertures and depth of the faceted system can be sized according to solar gain requirements as well as structural performance criteria and/or weight reduction necessity. Using standard CAD/CAM technologies, the folded strips can be easily manufactured from planar sheets using CNC, laser, or water-jet cutters.

Design of the FACETED | FIBROUS | STRUCTURES was developed in Rhino using Rhino Scripting. The structure is generated using a base surface onto which 3 layers of points are plotted. The top layer represents the exterior, the middle layer the center, and the bottom layer the interior. Surfaces are then created from the points using an elongated hexagonal pattern.

XO.S | PAVILION

The XO.S | PAVILION is a formal exercise emulating biomorphic exoskeletal systems, intended to be used as a temporary place of gathering. It funnels pedestrians from one end to the other, compressing at the center and then widening at both ends dividing space into two zones. The pavilion is fabricated from stainless steel folded strips, laser-cut from flat sheets and welded together. The exterior is painted with a high-gloss black car paint finish while the interior and inner faces are painted white.

faceted fibrous structures

here the faceted linear strips have been given depth (voxelized) to function as a fully capable self-supporting, exoskeletal, structural system. the faceted strips, or fibres, can be easily manufactured from planar sheets and assembled together to produce these structural fibres.

"Fibre is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to lengths of thread. They are very important in the biology of both plants and animals, for holding tissues together. " --Wikipedia

faceted structures

focusing on producing complex double-curved geometries using standard construction materials, the concept of folding flat metal sheets, similar to "origami", allows one to triangulate geometries and generate long folded strips of material that can then be fastened together.

here is a quick study for a folded metal structural system. at the moment the system is very similar to the folded metal ceiling in that it has no "thickness" and would rely on a primary and secondary structural system. the next step is to develop a 3-dimensional 'voxel' unit with volume to become a self-supporting structural component.

the openings in the system are randomly sized to create a non-repetitive pattern. the next area of study will be fenestration & solar responsivity, and sizing of the individual components based on structural performance.

"A voxel (a portmanteau of the words volumetric and pixel) is a volume element, representing a value on a regular grid in three dimensional space. As with pixels in a bitmap, voxels themselves do not typically have their position (their coordinates) explicitly encoded along with their values. Instead, the position of a voxel is inferred based upon its position relative to other voxels (i.e., its position in the data structure that makes up a single volumetric image). In contrast to pixels and voxels, points and polygons are often explicitly represented by the coordinates of their vertices. A direct consequence of this difference is that polygons are able to efficiently represent simple 3D structures with lots of empty or homogeneously-filled space, while voxels are good at representing regularly-sampled spaces that are non-homogeneously filled." --Wikipedia

faceted metal ceiling

here are a few renderings of the folded ceiling system applied in the lobby. about 300m2 total surface area which would require about 100 modules similar to the mock-up from the previous post.

folded metal ceiling

below are some photos of a 1:1 mockup of a faceted metal ceiling system. this 1.6m x 1.6m panel is fabricated entirely out of 1/16" thick stainless steel and weighs around 90 kilos. the module is comprised of 8 continuous folded strips, laser cut from flat sheets, welded together, with a metallic golden lacquer finish. the primary structural ribs are laser cut following the angles of the folded facets providing a seem for welding the strips together, with 16 sub-frames for lateral stability.

Random Close Packing II

here's another try at producing random close packing on a surface with a rectilinear module. two curves where plotted along the surface with random z-coordinates. a surface was then generated by lofting between the two curves.

Random Close Packing

sorry for the hiatus in posting this summer but between the beautiful weather, being busy at the office, and spending time with my 21 month-old daughter i just couldn't find time to post anything new. but alas with the warm summer days gone and vacations nearly forgotten i will be focusing back onto production mode.

above are some images of my interpretation of 'RCP' (random close packing) on a surface. essentially a educlidean grid was generated on the surface,randomly rotated curves were plotted relative to the surface normals and used as paths to extrude variable curve profiles plotted on the surface. a random color range was applied to each surface relative to its z-coordinates.

random close packing (RCP) is an empirical parameter used to characterize the maximum volume fraction of solid objects obtained when they are packed randomly. --Wikipedia

pixelization

here are a few images of experimenting in creating a large ceiling as an aggregation of pixels.

Modularity - a rational approach to complexity

i was invited to write an article by jose pedro sousa (www.re-d.com), coordinator of the digital technology section of the portuguese architecture magazine 'arquitectura e vida', for the april issue. entitled 'modularity - a rational approach to complexity' the article focuses on the use of digital technologies and processes in architecture, namely the process of simplifying complex geometries into smaller components facilitating fabrication, transportation, and assembly.

here are the magazine spreads with the english text below.

Modularity – A Rational Approach to Complexity

The primary focus of my research is modularity, not necessarily in the sense of mass produceable self-similar parts but more in the sense of breaking down complex geometries into identifiable, describable, elements for representation and fabrication. I'm interested in producing seamingly complicated forms with standard contruction methods and non-expensive materials. The research is process driven, it focuses on simplicity and maintaining clear formal gestures.

The digital platform with which I work is Rhinoceros developed by McNeel, traditionally used for industrial, automotive, and marine design it has become increasingly popular among architects. It is a free-form NURBS modeling software that provides a vast selection of tools for building, documenting, and fabricating complex geometries. Forming Complexity My design process normally begins with a top-down approach. First by generating a preconceived non-standard form that evolves from the design brief and then setting out in trying to deconstruct [rationalize] it into a series of elements [modules]. This form becomes the base geometry from which the modules will be referenced to and which all other building components will be extracted from. The underlying concept for the geometry of my proposal for the ‘DRL_Ten Pavilion’ competition was to create a biomorphic formal expression of the post-graduate program’s growth and evolution since its conception. The aim of the proposal was to test the structural capabilities of ‘fibre-c’, an advanced technology fibreglass reinforced concrete panel, as a suitable material for non-standard forms (Figura 1a & 1b). Similar to working with traditional plastic materials such as clay, the base geometry was sculpted from a planar NURBS surface. Using the ‘Rebuild’ tool to increase the amount of control points on the surface (Figura 2a), adding a greater degree of precision and control, the control points where then manipulated to generate the base geometry (Figura 2b). In order to specify the required depth of the structure I offset the finalized base geometry surface using the ‘OffsetSrf’ tool (Figura 2c). The ‘Modular Dining Experience’ was a mini-charrette investigating modular dining configurations suitable for at least ten people within a 3.3m x 3.3m x 3.3m volume. The concept was to have a sitting arrangement which included the table, seats, and spatial envelope created from one continuous surface (Figura 3a). Different then the previous example the base geometry was not created using a push-and-pull method of control points but rather by creating a surface from NURBS curves. The base geometry was formed using the ‘Sweep2’ tool between two profile sections [each having the envelope inclined in opposite directions] connected by two edge curves functioning as rails, providing greater control over the deformation of the surface (Figura 4a). Forming Modularity Modularity, in the pure sense of the word, refers to the subdivision of a system into smaller parts that can be independently manufactured and replaced. Modularity can also refer to surface tessellation by composing a complex surface with smaller components [modules], similar to mosaic tiles, which like in the automotive industry, can be replaced and interexchanged to create variations within the design. Extracting modules from the base geometry normally begins by applying onto the surface a grid that defines the maximum size a module can be. Depending on the complexity of the surface, and or the desire to have planar as apposed to curved modules, the grid may vary in its true spacing. This happens when applying an orthogonal cartesian grid onto a surface with variable curvature. In the case of the pavilion proposal, the concept was to pixilate the surface with flat fibre-c panels. In order to compensate for the variable surface curvature the central spine of the geometry was subdivided, using the ’Divide’ tool, into segments of a specified length to locate the placement of the grid lines on the surface (Figura 5a). Zones of similar curvature were created to define panel widths, allowing for panel repetition (Figura 5b). The base geometry was split by the grid lines into individual bays. Each bay was then flattened using the ‘CreateUVCrv’ tool to form guides for the placement of the panels in 2d (Figura 6a). Once the panels were laid out each strip was reapplied back onto the faceted bays in 3d using the ‘ApplyCrv’ tool. Because the base geometry contained double-curvature each module had to be flattened relative to its average normal by using the ‘SetPT’ tool (Figura 5c). Breaking apart the overall form of the pavilion into typical zones aided in reducing the number of moulds to five, each creating between four and six fibre-c module variations, resulting in a total of 22 unique panel types (Figura 6b). The panels were designed based on the structural principle of folding a flat sheet of material to increase its structural properties. The folded edges of the modules transfer vertical forces to the support structure below (Figura 6c). In the case of the ‘Modular Dining Experience’, the concept was to deconstruct the continuous double-curved surface into six striations of single-curvature. Using the ‘Contour’ tool a spaced series of planar curves were created over the base geometry (Figura 4b) and were then extruded in the same direction. Each extruded striation was then given a thickness by using the ‘OffsetSrf’ tool [with solid option selected] (Figura 4c). Each individual striation serves as a self-contained dining module for two that can be packed together to serve groups (Figura 3a) or pulled apart and completely separated for more intimate settings (Figura 3b). Both projects involve the creation of modularity by extracting information from a base geometry. While the pavilion attempts to facet the complex geometry by reconstructing it with flat panels the modular dining simply uses the base geometry as a starting position for the striations. Forming Explicit Logic Similar to other CAD software Rhino is equipped with its own scripting interface called Rhino scripting, a programming language based on Microsoft’s Visual Basic (VB). It is part of a bottom-up process that involves defining a set of parameters [rules and algorithms] which allow a user to program a series of commands to automate a sequence of operations.

Scripting provides the ability of automating repetitive functions as well as generating emergent forms by applying explicit logic to the modeling process. There are two methodologies in which scripting can be very useful within design: firstly as an agent for generating modularity of a surface and secondly as an agent for planning modular space. A script is normally composed from a loop, or series of looped functions. For this reason it is important to set limits so as to avoid having a script loop endlessly. With the first methodology the base geometry set’s the limit, the script will begin from one corner and work its way [like a printer] across the surface until it reaches the last corner. In planning modular space a boundary needs to be defined. In defining modularity of a surface one begins with a base geometry similarly to the previous examples. In the case of the ‘DRL_Ten Pavilion’, an alternate proposal experimented with creating a primary structure [using the same method of extracting structural elements from the base geometry] (figura 7a) and applying the fibre-c panels purely as cladding with no structural properties. A generative growth script was used to apply the overlapping flat panels onto the base geometry that varied in length and width depending on the surface curvature (figura 7b). ‘Cellular living’ was a study in creating a modular residence from a voronoi planar composition. A set of points were plotted to define general cell placements. The script plots a series of cells through the proximity of the points to each other and to the boundary [defined by the required floor plate area] (figura 8a). To avoid having a defined edge [caused by the boundary] the cells were individually edited to animate the exterior line as well as allow for terraces and balconies (figura 8b). The modular residences can be mass-produced [pre-manufactured and assembled on site] as detached single-family homes (Figura 9a & 9b), assembled together to form high-rise towers (Figura 9c) or horizontal residential blocks (Figura 9d).

Zaragoza Bridge Pavilion Opens

finally the bridge pavilion opened last friday 13 june, along with the international expo2008 in zaragoza, spain. Here are some shots by photographer luke hayes via dezeen.

surface scaling

i've been testing different cladding options for complex geometries, this is a simple hexagonal script applied to the base surface. the hexagon cell is lofted to a single point which creates a very nice scale effect on the surface.

surface tesselation

i've been working on tessellating complex surfaces with flat panels. in order to achieve fixed seams triangulation seems to be the obvious choice so focus can be applied on the design of the reveal between panels. this script plots a grid of points on the surface, draws a polyline through 3 points, rounds the edges of the polyline, and then creates the panel surface.

folded surface cladding

here are a few images of a cladding system composed of a folded cellular arrangement.

folded surfaces

here are a few images testing folded surface generation.

paper exhibits zero gaussian curvature at all points on its surface, and only folds naturally along lines of zero curvature. but the curvature along the surface of a non-folded crease in the paper, as is easily done with wet paper or a fingernail, is no longer subject to this constraint. -Wikipedia

cellular house

some further development of the cellular typology. working the floor plan of this detached home to include outdoor terraces at every other cell as well as experimenting with framing the openings on the façade.