To create the tile, we began with a process of experimenting with the possibilities and limitations of the parameters of the hexagon – mainly the shape, size and quantities of the water excavation curves.

L-System

Voronoi Web

Bent Whirlpool

Lofting Curves

 From this early point of experimentation, we moved into simplifying the process and the design. The result was to take a direct inspiration from natural. A beautiful, naturally occurring phenomenon known as the channel country.

Seemingly chaotic in many senses, the channel country follows a very simple order – the water flows along the path of least resistance, slowly creating rivers and networks in its wake. Ever changing, yet ever lasting.

The process to take this idea into a reality came when exploring tools in rhino. We understood that we could use the variants of gradients in an image to create depth on a 2-dimensional field.

From the drawings, it was a long and educational experience to understand how to transfer the imagined images into drawings, and then into a 3-dimensional field in Rhino.

The final output of the tiles into a built form was an interesting experience to say the least. Working with compressed foam-board had limitations of its own. Our mould suffered a crack after the first pour. Prior to that, machining had resulted in the CRC Milling Machine cutting a line through the side of the mould, leaving a hole to be filled by Stucco.

Although the cold weather significantly slowed down the progress of curing the concrete, we were able to overcome this by efficient time management to produce 6 full tiles as per the brief.

Derived from a hyperboloid of 1 sheet, the Hyperblob is a free standing structure made up of 25 2mm fiberglass rods, 33mm long, through two 3D printed rings, 150 mm in diameter. Hyperboloids can be found in architecture and are based on the concept of a ruled surface: through every point on the surface lies a straight line. Hyperblob is an exploration of curvature through the use of straight lines. The structure has a variety of movements, in all of the cartesian coordinates, due to the 3D printed joints.

The Digital Fabrication world has introduced the magic of 3D printing to a variety of audiences. As students, designers, and thinkers it was our task to explore this new technology and create a joint was only possible using this process. Using this criteria we produced a repetative joint that comprised of openings, angled at 20 degrees, as well as a bi-axial interlocking connection mechanism. Constrained by a bounding box of 50x50x100 mm, we printed 26 individual joints that when combined form two seperate rings.  The Hyperblob comes to life when rods pass through each ring allowing the structure to stand, move, and deform depending on the users manipulation.