mwsk dcc poster s
TRANSCRIPT
Continuing the ‘Continua’ II.................................................................
.................................................................MARCIN WÓJCIK
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design AHO, Oslo, [email protected]
SYLWIA KŁACZYŃSKAWest Pomeranian University of Technology ZUT, Szczecin, Poland
DCC14. Bringing artificial intelligence, cognitive science and computational theories to design research. Sixth International Conference On Design Computing And Cognition. University College London, London, UK
REFERENCESHAUER, E. 2004. Erwin Hauer: continua : architectural screens and walls, New York, Princeton Architectural Press.KŁACZYŃSKA, S. ‘Transition Zone’ jako opozycja dla ściany. In: WAGNER, T., ed. Modernity in Architecture. Integration - Identification - Innovation, 2013. Gliwice: Wydział Architektury Politechniki Śląskiej w Gliwicach, 107-122.LAKES, R. 1993. Materials with structural hierarchy. Nature, 361, 511-515.VINCENT, J. F. V., BOGATYREVA, O. A., BOGATYREV, N. R., BOWYER, A. & PAHL, A.-K. 2006. Biomimetics: its practice and theory. Journal of The Royal Society Interface, 3, 471-482.
THE CONTINUA SERIESErwin Hauer (b.1926) is an Austrian-American sculptor, known for repetitive screen-wall systems based on modular elements cast in concrete, gypsum or acrylic resin, later CNC-milled in MDF and limestone
(Hauer, 2004). These methods are time and energy consuming and produce waste. Our previous research (Kłaczyńska, 2013) indicates that Design 3 (1952) from the Continua series would be applicable for
external light-breaking building envelopes, that -- besides diffusing light -- protect from wind, attenuate sound and provide privacy.
We set out to develop the Continua series into a new system that minimises wastage and performs in a controlled way. The new system uses thin (ca. 5 mm) plywood as structural material, what is made
possible by the contemporary digital tools and by following the biological paradigm. Thin plywood is bent to form and thus achieving strength locally, while global stiffness is achieved by the application of overall geometry. By doing so, much less material and time are used to produce a final piece. This
solution required reconfiguration of the modules, but the geometrical features of the original are sustained.
THE BIOMIMETIC APPROACHThe re-design of the ‘Continua’ series takes inspiration from the biomimetic approach. Biological
systems utilise information, stored in the genetic code, rather than energy, in order to solve technical problems. Energy is used sparingly, single material often serves both structural and protective purposes,
the distinction between material and structure is blurred (Vincent et al., 2006). According to Vincent, in biology, conversely to engineering, form is cheap and materials are expensive. Biological solutions are hierarchical, and such organisation yields at least ten-fold savings in material. In mass-production
the costs of manufacturing exceed the saving in material thus hierarchical organisation is less common (Lakes, 1993). That may change as the CNC machines enable variation without extra production time, a feature used in our project, where a CNC laser cutter allows for adapting the geometry in response to
the structural and environmental factors. Similarly to the Eiffel Tower, our proposal contains three orders of structural elements that themselves have structure: (1) material bending behaviour is dependent on
the number and stacking sequence of laminas, (2) local strength is achieved by bending and (3) global stiffness is achieved by the overall geometry.
The structure doubles as a protective skin. The sizes of the openings -- neccesary to achieve double-
curvature -- are variable within the modular framework. By doing so, it is possible to control the amount of light and wind entering through the screen.
APPLICATION OF THIN PLYWOOD IN CONSTRUCTION THROUGH BIOLOGICALLY INSPIRED APPROACH
(1) (2)
(3)
photo: Saaraa Premji
photo: Erwin Hauer