IAAC Blog » experimental structures

Taller – Estructuras Experimentales

admin — Mon, 17 Mar 2014 16:51:34 +0000

This weekend the Experimental Structures Seminar participated in a workshop with Manja Van de Worp, Silvia Brandi and Alexandre Dubor.

The workshop was centred around the development of a stair system, through both the creation of a physical model, as well as the generation of a virtual model using Karamba for virtual structural testing. Once generated the virtual model the students then re-elaborated the design of the stair thanks to the new data gained through the generative model with regards to the structural behaviour of the design.

Advanced Structures Workshop

admin — Tue, 21 May 2013 10:16:05 +0000

During the last weekend, IAAC students participated in the Advanced Structures Workshop, leaded by Manja van de Worp and framed in the Advanced Structures Seminar. The workshop consisted in applying all the mechanisms and tools (Karamba) learned in the four days in which the Advanced Structures Seminar took place. The whole Saturday and Sunday, the students developed different research studies, in which the main aim was to clearly understand the behavior of an Advanced Structures. To reach this goal, students applied a constantly switching methodology between a physical model approach and a virtual model approach. On Sunday night students presented the results of their research in front of a jury composed by several teachers and specialists in the Advanced Structures field.

Experimental Structures Seminar Final Presentations, March 11th

admin — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:45:52 +0000

Tonight in IAAC will take place the Final Presentation of the Experimental Structures Seminar.

The aim of the seminar was to investigate the extreme possibilities of textile constructions and structures which make them possible. Starting from analyzing existing technologies, students studied the possibilities of building portable and packable pavilions.

Three models in a 1:1 scale and two models in 1:2 scale have been built and will be presented today at IaaC facilities with the collaboration of SERGE FERRARI and IASO

Directors of the Seminar: Josep Miàs + Silvia Brandi

Students: Zeynep Birgönül, Jin Shihui, Anand Singh, Diego Arturo Diaz Garcia, Dirce Medina Patatuchi, Venkata Kasi Raju Alluri, Georgios Angelou, Juan Diego Ardila, Drew Carson, Jean Akanish, Anca Simona Horvath, Dori Sadan, Maria Kuptsova, Boleslaw Musierowicz, Surag Viswanathan Iyer, Moritz Begle, Diego Colinas Magana, Amir Reza Saheb, Taruni Aggarwal, Aishwarya Sampath, Roopa Sharma, Boghani Harsh Shailesh, Marjan Jelveh Nejad, Angeliki Terezaki, Amir Asayesh, Ibrahim Berkay Ogunc, Elif Gungor, Shivaranjani Kumbar, Priyanka Narula, Kismir Selcuk, Amit Kumar, Miguel Oliveira, Youssef Rashdan.

Pictures: Filippo Poli

EXPERIMENTAL STRUCTURES SEMINAR – CONSTRUCTION WEEKEND WORKSHOP

admin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 20:58:11 +0000

This weekend we had an intensive workshop at IAAC building our 1:1 pavilions for the experimental structures course. Next Monday the 11th of March there will be the final presentation.

Machinic Conversations II

admin — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 19:59:01 +0000

During this 4 days workshop, students from the Fabrication Ecologies research line of the Master in Advanced Architecture 2013 were able to develop and test a new fabrication protocol deploying Hemp fibres by means of an industrial robot.
Through the production of a 1:1 scale prototype, the 4 teams explored the design opportunities arising from 2 different fabrication techniques developed within the Fabrication Ecologies Studio, focussed on the production of:
- an aggregate substratum via pick and place of fibrous component units.
- a non-woven fabric skin via robotic spraying of row hemp filaments.

The collaborative effort progressed in loops, with the work of one group informing the operations of the next. The feedback was mediated by a set of interfaces for real-time scanning (Kinect) and digital generative modelling (Grasshopper). The fabrication process than evolved into a conversation between designer, machine, material system, designer, prototype, machine, designer, and so on; each loop driven by a set of negotiations and specific design decisions.

Such fabrication protocol opens the possibility for a new form of participatory mass-customisation, ones that operates in real-time during and takes into account multiple factors such as design intentions, material behaviour, mechanical constraints and microclimatic conditions.

Machinic Conversations II on Vimeo.

Program Directors: Marco Poletto, Claudia Pasquero,

Workshop tutors: Andrea Bugli, Alexandre Dubor
Students: Jean Akanish, Drew Carson, Franciso Castillo, Marisa Charusilawong, Alexander Dolan, Kartik Gala, Sofokli Giannakopoulous, Gabriela Gonzalez, Vincent Huyghe, Yogesh Karekar, Stefanos Levidis, Iker Luna, Peter Malaga, Niccolo Marini, Priyanka Narula, Venkatakasi Raju, Aishwarya Sampath, Ahmed Selim, Jin Shihui, Georgios Soutos, Ali Yerdel

Machinic Conversations I: Hacking an industrial 6axis robot

admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 18:34:42 +0000

The first design assignment for the students of the Master in Advanced Architecture 2013 was to develop and test communication protocols to control and manipulate the behavior of a large industrial robot. Since 6-axis machines such as the one in the IAAC Fab Lab are directly inherited from the mass production of cars and other industrial products, the first focus of our design research has been devoted to developing alternative protocols of robotic fabrication that would afford a more direct interaction between machine and designer, as well as machine and the surrounding environment; these protocols will lead to the engineering of mass customized productions.

3D robotic light painting:

Our first experimental set up was the following:

-The robot was controlled by each student via Grasshopper, through the use of the KUKA | Krc plug-in (from association for robots in architecture) for Grasshopper and Rhino. Each group did draw a series of parametric lines that would become the tool paths for the robot.

-A video simulation with the virtual robot in Grasshopper was performed by each student to understand the behaviour of the machine along the path and amend eventual errors; the video would allow also the testing of multiple path parameters and robot behavioural options.

-The tool mounted on the robot contained 1 fixed LED light and 2 or 4 blinking ones; the blinking was also controlled via Grasshopper and related to the robotic arm path.

-A camera was positioned in front of the robot and its exposure tuned to the particular lighting conditions and the length in time of the tool path. Such configuration allowed capturing the ephemeral lighting traces left by the robotic arm movements. The robotic behaviour is therefore translated into a 3D robotic light painting.

FABRICATION ECOLOGIES 2013
Research Line Directors: Claudia Pasquero and Marco Poletto [ecoLogicStudio]
Robotic Fabrication Assistant : Alexandre Dubor
Students : Venkatakasi Raju, Dolan Alexander, Ali Yerdel, Francisco Castillo, Drew Carson, Georgios Soutos, Niccolo Marini, Priyanka Narula, Gabriela Gonzalez, Jin Shihui, Nasr Chamma, Kartikashok Gala, Aishwarya Sampath, Giannakopoulous Sofoklis, Vincent Huyghe, Peter Malaga, Ahmed Selim, Iker Luna, Yogesh Karekar, Jean Akanish, Charusilawong Marisa, Levidis Stefanos

EXPERIMENTAL STRUCTURES COMPETITION

admin — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 17:01:52 +0000

Can a pavilion inflate its skin and change its configurations according to the event? Can a pavilion be desmountable and so foldable to fit in a hand luggage? Can an exhibition space be adaptable descend from a ceiling and become a sensorial personal experience? Today the Experimental Structures Competition took place and we tried to realize some of this dreams.

The aim of the seminar, leaded by Josep Miàs and Silvia Brandi, is to investigate the extreme possibilities of textile constructions and structures which make them possible. Starting from analyzing existing technologies, we will end up building three pavilions that will be portable and packable, and that can be used as a living space, exhibition room, or meeting point…

The seminar is a technological adventure which counts on the active collaboration of two sector leader enterprises in the field of textile construction:

- SERGE FERRARI: an international producer of flexible composite materials and membranes of high performances for architecture.

- IASO: a company specialized in the engineering and the assembling of uncommon textiles architectures with high technology features.

At the competition exhibition of today each group had to present its ideas through a model of 1 m3. Three models have been chosen to be built in a 1:1 scale and presented on a inauguration party on the 4th of March. You are all invited!!

MAI Physical Computing workshop – Final Presentation

admin — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:59:17 +0000

Friday January 26th, Master in Advanced Interaction students presented the final projects of the Physical Computing workshop that they have been developing during the 1st term.

The project has been directed by Alex Posada.

To see the projects click here.

Vote! “Building of the Year 2012″ Archdaily nominations: Endesa Pavilion

admin — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 10:42:07 +0000

Archdaily, the most visited architecture blog in the world, for the 4th consecutive year, presents the Building of the Year Awards naming Endesa Pavilion amongst the nominates.

Vote for it by clicking on the Nominate button here