ARCHITECTURAL RESEARCH & PROPOSAL

IRREGULAR STRUCTURES:METHODOLOGY FOR COMPUTATION AND FABRICATION

Student: Vasily SitnikovFFM 2014

SAC

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CONTENTS:

FOREWORD

RESEARCH IRREGULAR NETWORK STUDY ADEQUATE COMPUTATION METHODOLOGY MATERIAL SYSTEM TECHNOLOGY

PROPOSAL: THE ATMOSPHERE PROJECT PROGRAM STRUCTURE

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0.0 FOREWORD

With my architectural approach I aspire to represent such a system, in which random processes are running within a logic of incontestable rules. The inspiration for this thesis I found in works of Jackson Pollock, partic-ularly they were perceived as architectural drawings. As an evidence of presence of graphical dominance in this images can serve the choice of color: coal black, sienna brown, dark green; thous colors one can as well find in any technical drawing, where color is conditional to the established notation system. Therefore, this works can literally be considered as encoded drawings, presumably spatial diagrams, which somehow can be decoded into architectural treatises. And so, aiming to achieve an architectural technique, in which shape and structure would be correlating to expression of those works, the research was launched.

1.0 RESEARCH

This reasearch was initiated by a material experiment, where an irregular spatial structure was extracted out of a solid body of a Styrofoam panel. With a goal to avoid-ing any narrative expression, the structure was developed only on the basis of the preexisting context of a certain region and so emphasized a shape that was emerging mostly by itself. Within a translation of the emergent structure into geometrical language, was found a pattern that is not describable by any algorithmic expression. In order to compress the collected data, the initial object was de-scribed in a format of specifically invented notation sys-tem, that cptured interrelations between existing nodes. Following elaboration of the subject was focused on this node areas, abstractly conceived as points, which were defined by sets of three dimensional coordinates. For its digital simulation was used an algorithm of gen-erative isosurface that equally retreats from an abstract axial carcass of an item. In architectural terms this node areas represent joints, and in the found structure their phenotype by itself is unpredictable, however it is computed out of the context that a joint belong to.

IRREGULAR NETWORK STUDY

EMERGENCE OF THE STRUCTURE

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ON-OBJECT NOTATION

GEOMETRIC TRANSLATION

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NETWORK ANALYSIS

← PHYSICAL MODEL

← DIGITAL MODEL

← SCHEMATIZED STRUCTURE

← EQUATOR POLYLINE

INVENTED NOTATION SYSTEM ←

1.2 ADEQUATE COMPUTATION METHODOLOGY

After the definition was given to the subject of study, the major effort was directed towards parametric simu-lation of correlating structures. Quite soon was created an algorithm based on OME-GA-involved spatiel distribution of points, then estab-lished proximity network and finaly generative isosur-face which uses this linear carcass as the axial scheme of the outcome structure.

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INPUTSURFACE

δ=700

RHINO COMMAND:MeshFromPoints δ=NUMBER OF VERTICAL DIVISIONS

GRASSHOPPER

δ=30

EXTRACTED VERTICES

INITIAL MESH

SCHEME OF PARAMETRIC MEDITATIONS

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CULL POINTS

ESTEBLISH5 CLOSEST FROM EACH

POINT

FIND ALL FACE TRIANGULAR

CELLS IN THE NETWORK

EXTRUDE FACES BOTH

SIDES

CREATE SOLID

APPLY LAPLACE

OPERATOR

SORT VERTICES BY Z-VALUE

DRAW POLYLINE

FROM TOP TO BOTTOM

← Overal shape built within trangular prism units

COMPUTATIONAL PROTOTYPES

← The resultative model with both Laplacian and Catmull Clark

operators applied

REGION RANDOM DISTRIBUTION

OF POINTS

NETWORK BASED ON PROXIMITY

DESCRIPTION OF THE FOUND PARAMETRIC SYSTEM

ISOSURFACEWITH DIFFERENT PARAMETERS

← Model, prepared for 3D print

FINAL PROTOTYPE AND OPTIMIZED PARAMETRIC PATH

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CLOSED SURFACE

CLOUD OF POINTS

PROXIMITYNETWOR

ISOSURFACE

SPECULATIVE INTERIOR DESIGN

EXPOSITION ON RUNDGANG ‘14

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PRINCIPALS OF THE MORPHOGENESIS

COLLECTION OF POINTS

PROXIMITYNETWOR

JOINT-BASED SPACE FRAME STRUCTURE

SOLID NETWORK

JOINT FOR IRREGULAR SPACE FRAME STRUCTURES

ILLUSTRATION OF JOINT’S PHENOTYPE ALTERATION

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THEORETICAL JOINT SIMULATIONS: DIGITAL AND PHYSICAL

A MODEL OF A JOINT

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1.3 MATERIAL SYSTEM

The final challenge of the research was to reproduce the process of computed morphogenesis in a physical experiment and on its basis to develop a material system for efficient fabrication of such items. As a potential way to physically simulate the process was considered a ther-modynamic interaction between hot wires and meltable materials, such as ice, wax or cured gelatin solution. First experiment with ice approved the feasibility of the simulation. With a direct current of electricity which heats metal wires tunnels inside of a solid block of ice can be melt within fairly short time frames.

PROTOTYPICAL PHYSICAL SIMULATION: THICKENING OF A FRAMEWORK WITH VICID PLASTER SOLUTION

A PRTOTYPE OF A SOLID STRUCTURE

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FIRST EXPEREMENTAL EQUIPMENT

A REFRIGIRATOR WITH VIBRATION SET UP FOR CLEAR ICE PRODUCTION

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↑ Wire heating machine↗ Wire heating in progress← ↙Remolded cast, pilot #1

EXPERIMENTS ON PRINCIPAL FUNCTION

↑ Ice mold← Casting in progress

↑ Casted ise mold, an object full of features to study

↑ Environmental machine 2.0

← Progressive melting

↑ Observatory

1.4 TECHNOLOGY

Further with a goal to produce a castable mold, ice was replaced by cured gelatin. The pilot experiment with gypsum captured two types of possible products: the first type has loose wires and so represents a non-reg-ular curvature along the surface, the second with rigid straight wires leads to predictable and precise outcome. The final model is a sample of space frame structure based on irregular joints. For this model joints were pro-duced out of Epoxy resin.

MOLD FABRICATION PROCESS

GYPSUM SAMPLE OF A FINE PRODUCT

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REDY TO USE MOLDECASTED MOLDDEMOLDED JOINT

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ACCELERATED PROCESS OF MOLD FABRICATION:INCREASED WIRE THICKNESS

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ACCELERATED PROCESS OF MOLD FABRICATION:INCREASED WIRE THICKNESS

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EPOXY RESIN PRODUCT SAMPLES:STRUCTURAL TYPE: TETRAVALENT JOINT

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SAMPLE OF A JOINT-BASED SPACE FRAME STRUCTUREFRONT VIEW

TOP VIEW

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DAY VIEW FROM THE OPPOSITE RIVER BANK

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The Atmosphere project creates a space with variable air pressure conditions. It is design to serve for two purposes: simulation of low atmospheric pressure for mountaineers and offering a medical serves for hyper-tensive patients, creating a stable pressure in times of low or high conditions of such in nature. The architectural approach aspires to represent such a system, in which random processes are running within a logic of incontestable rules. For that reason this very project is designed to establish a mental connotation be-tween an irregular network and a metaphysical idea of a sphere, to somehow link together abstract and figurative.

2.0 PROPOSAL: THE ATMOSPHERE PROJECT

NIGHT EXTERIOR VIEW

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DAY INTERIOR VIEW

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MEMBRANE:THREE INFLATION CONDITIONS

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SECTIONTOP VIEW PLAN

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EXTERIOR STRUCTURE

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INTERIOR STRUCTURE

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Contacts: vasilysitnikov@gmail.com