In looking up computational fabrication, I came across a lot of examples in architecture that features heavy parametric modeling. Without the aid of computers, certain shapes would be next to impossible to produce especially when all the requirements of architectural engineering need to be up held. Below is an example from Fosters+Partners for the new Mexcio City International Airport.
Curving structures and complex geometries create the exoskeleton for the airport and were modeled using digital methods.
This work is by Christoph Hermann, an artist focused on natural, generative design.
For my Looking Outwards this week, I picked a work by Christoph Hermann from 2012. It’s a piece of wood mathematically and generatively designed to appear flowy, soft, and organic; as shown here, the ripples are so natural it almost appears to be a piece of cloth. This piece really stood out to me because it’s remarkable how natural a computer-generated algorithm was able to make wood, a very stiff material, appear. It’s a testament to how much work the artists must have put into their algorithm to make sure it didn’t appear mechanical or robotic. Hermann worked with the computational design firm Biot(h)ing in order to create code that could emulate the natural flow of rippling fabric. As Biot(h)ing explains on their website, their primary mission is to utilize algorithms to “mimic the process of autopoiesis through intricate entanglements” — in other words, they seek to build code that can create, reproduce, and maintain itself through natural forms.
Hermann’s work was shown at the “Lasvit Liquidkristal (LLK) Pavilion” at Milan Design Week in 2012, an exhibit specifically designed to showcase parametric architecture and organically flowing patterns. Each piece had a smooth exterior with interiors comprising of dips and pockets; presumably, the interior is the portion that was generated with an algorithm. Although it isn’t specified how the code was written, my guess would be that it might have involved using a command that “pushes” shapes toward a certain direction or side. For instance, if we were to write code that could cause shapes to contort to the direction a mouse moves in, it’d be possible to mimic a natural curve or ripple. I’m not exactly sure how to do this, but perhaps it involves easing or other contortion.
a photo of METAMESH by Neri Oxman, Jorge Duro-Royo, and Laia Mogas-Soldevila.
MetaMesh is a project by Neri Oxman, Jorge Duro-Royo, and Laia Mogas-Soldevila. In this project, they study biomimetic design. This means studying and producing designs that mimic the functions and features of biochemical processes. MetaMesh studies and mimics the scaling of the Polypterus sengalus, which is an ancient fish. They developed a “hierarchical computational model” that mimics the “structure-function relationships found in the biological exoskeleton”. They then use additive manufacturing, a technology that uses additive layers in order to produce a three-dimensional object.
The purpose of this project was actually to propose a computational approach for protective armor. This scaled armor is meant to be multifunctional. The scaling/exoskeleton of the fish allows for flexibility as well as structural protection. Because the scales are segmented, they allow for movement and adhere to the curves of the body while the body is still covered.
First, they studied the biological organism, how it moves in reaction to curved surfaces. Then they looked at local, regional, and global analysis of the scales. In the regional analysis, they looked at how each scale can connect. In the locoal, they looked the parts of the fish and the proportions. Finally, they looked at the global analysis, which is how clothes adhere to the curves of the human body. This was then put through computational translation that digitalizes the studies to develop an algorithm.
^^ diagram of work flow: putting biological organism studies and new host geometry through computational translation.
I think this project is amazing because it is both functional, scientific, and aesthetic. This study serves a great purpose of protection but also generates such a natural and complex pattern.
MIT’s computer fabrication group tackles problems in digital manufacturing and computer graphics. The group develops new technology that brings changes to people’s lifestyles. One of their recent projects that intrigues me is the computer-aided knitting technology. “InverseKnit” is a system where automating knitted garments is made possible. It was created by a PhD student Alexandre Kaspar and his colleges. With a photo of knitted patterns, the system is able to translate the information into instructions to the machine, which makes the clothing following the instructions. This technology allows designers to create and actualize designs efficiently.
Examples of products made by the lab through the 3D knitting system
Technologies like 3D knitting that visualizes the designer’s ideas efficiently can greatly assist the productivity of the design process, and i think that it would have greater potential in the future.
Here is a link for more information: https://www.csail.mit.edu/news/computer-aided-knitting
“Thermoformable sheets of bioplastics will represent a resource-efficient alternative [to oil-based plastics, glass, or metal] in the future, as they combine the high malleability and recyclability of plastics with the environmental benefits of materials consisting primarily of renewable resources.” explained the project team.
The Project Team
Overview
Stuttgart University’s ITKE Institute has designed and built the ArboSkin pavilion out of 388 bioplastic pyramids. A 140-square foot digitally fabricated mock-up composed of recyclable components that can be freely shaped and manufactured as 3D façade elements, the project was created within the Institute’s Bioplastic Façade Research Program to demonstrate the aesthetic and structural potentials of bioplastics.
ITKE is the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design in Stuttgart, Germany. Bioplastics are plastics made from renewable biomass sources such as starches, cellulose or other biopolymers, that offer sustainable alternatives to plastics derived from fossil fuels. The bioplastic used in the ArboSkin project is called Arboblend and is produced by German firm, Tecnaro, by combining different biopolymers such as lignin – a by-product of the wood pulping process – with natural reinforcing fibres.
Collaborating materials scientists, architects, product designers, manufacturing technicians, and environmental experts were able to develop a new material for facade cladding which is thermoformable and made primarily (>90%) from renewable resources. I admire the interdisciplinary approach to this project.
Process and Project Details
The blueprint of the shell structure is based on a network of triangular shapes of different sizes. The double curved skin is made of 3.5 mm thick bioplastic pyramids that are mechanically assembled to create the free form surface. The bioplastic sheets can be freely shaped and adapted to fit any requirement for building exteriors.
Personally, what really inspired me is the fact that waste produced during the CNC milling process can be regranulated and reused to create more of these façade elements in 3D format.
concept sketch. source: ITKE
The double-curved skin is formed by linking the pyramids together, with bracing rings and joists helping to create load-bearing walls. CNC-milling was used to remove sections from some of the modules, creating apertures in the facade, which I believe can be really cool if it is done based on sun data allowing for shading/sunlight during certain times of the day.
FE-Model Wind and snow loads. This shows how they used weather data to figure out where to put apertures and how to structurally reinforce it. Source: ITKE
Notes:
Duration of the project: December 20, 2011 – October 31, 2013
Mock-Up: The bioplastics facade mock-up was created within the framework of the Bioplastic Facade Research Project, a project supported by EFRE (Europäischer Fonds für Regionale Entwicklung / European Fund for Regional Development). It demonstrates one of the possible architectural and constructional applications of bioplastic materials developed during the course of the project. The blueprint is based on a triangular net composed by mesh elements of varying sizes.
As I was looking up computational fabrication, I stumbled upon the Hyphae Lamp. The co-founders are Jess Louise-Rosenberg and Jessica Rosenkrantz. In the science world, hyphae performs a variety of functions in fungi. In this context, Hyphae is a series of 3D-printed lamps that were inspired by the “vein structures that carry fluids through organisms from the leaves of plants to our own circulatory systems.” They were able to build it by looking at the stages of leaves, starting from when they were seeds to when they were fully grown. Each lamp is unique because it is completely one of a kind. They are 3D-printed in nylon plastic. They are run by eco-friendly LEDS.
This is a photo of lights.
As I was looking up computational fabrication, I stumbled upon the Hyphae Lamp. In the science world, hyphae performs a variety of functions in fungi. In this context, Hyphae is a series of 3D-printed lamps that were inspired by the “vein structures that carry fluids through organisms from the leaves of plants to our own circulatory systems.” They were able to build it by looking at the stages of leaves, starting from when they were seeds to when they were fully grown. Each lamp is unique because it is completely one of a kind. They are 3D-printed in nylon plastic. They are run by eco-friendly LEDS. It was made with c++ using CGAL.
The lamps do not all posses the same shape. Some are chandeliers while others are just wall lights or lamps.
I thought that this project was interesting because I usually don’t see designs being influenced by science. I felt more connected to this project since last semester, in design, we created lamps out of paper. Being able to see the designer’s process and inspiration allowed me to better understand the purpose of the idea.In the video, you are able to see the process of the lamp being built and it made me feel like I was watching the actual process of a leaf growing its veins. I enjoyed how the lamps do not posses the same body shape. Some are more circular while others are more natural and not a certain shape. There were even jewelry that followed the same algorithm and material. Overall, I really enjoyed researching this project because it is not just an aesthetic design. It educates people on hyphae while also acting as a lamp.
This lamp is the chandelier. This is the algorithm diagram used to produce the lamps.
Rock, especially gravel, is not often considered a substantial building material on its own, and neither is string; however, when these two elements are combined by laying the string out and entangling it within a pile of rocks to create a solid yet temporary structure. The structure shown above seems to be quite fragile on the surface, but the core is extremely solid due to the tension in the string. Although the uses of this construction type seems quite ambiguous, the potential for temporary strong structures which can be constructed using rubble or scrap materials might be applicable in the future.
3D voxel-printed model of a human brain visualizing axon bundles. The Mediated Matter Group.
This model of the human brain was created through voxel-printing, which is a new 3D printing method created by MIT Media Lab’s Mediated Matter Group. Printing in voxels, which are the equivalent of 3D pixels, allows for much more precise renderings of the complex and fine details present in 3D computerized data. Further, it allows one to properly visualize any “floating” structures that aren’t directly connected to the body of the object. Before voxel-printing, 3D printing required a computerized model of the structure first, which often distorted images. With the availability of voxel-printing, 3D printed objects are now created in much higher definition.
Close-up of a voxel-printed 3D model of human lung tissue. The Mediated Matter Group.
I am fascinated by this recreation of lung tissue and how this new 3D printing method is able to capture the most fine and minute details, recreating computerized data into extremely accurate physical visualizations. Because voxel-printing can also print “floating” structures, computer models will no longer suffer a loss in quality when they’re physically brought to life. I believe that voxel-printing will improve the 3D printing industry and open doors for new ways of modeling and creating objects.
Marius Watz is a New York-based artist who works with visual abstraction fabrication with software. This piece is called ‘Probability Lattice’ which is appealing to me because it randomly creates interesting geometric forms. I don’t know the process, but there is probably 3D printing and randomization of the lengths of the sides of polygons involved. The artist’s style of sharp and jagged forms is clearly present in this example of his work. The name ‘Probability Lattice’ gave me the impression that the forms could visualize some form of probability data, but the artist does not elaborate on this explicitly. I’m curious about how this could be used to reflect ourselves, such as shapes based on how many steps we take through the day or how much we sleep through the week.
The Suture Chair is developed by Andrew Kudless in 2005. The chair itself is an extension of his “Honeycomb Morphologies/Manifold research project” that a double layered honeycomb system is used in designing the chair.
The honeycomb structure allows the chair to be both flexible and stable in shape, the chair itself however is able to rock in different directions and seating configurations. The exterior shape of the chair is designed based on the idea of suture curve, which is the same curve that is used to put balls such as the tennis ball together. The rings that made up the structure of the chair is known to have the minimal surface known as a Enneper surface spans, which also allows the chair supporting structure to be the thickest at the edge and the thinest at the center. To balance out the structural strength, a higher density of honeycomb members are put in the center of the chair, which also turns out to require the least structural depth in each of the cell units.
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