The joints were designed to take advantage of the 3d printer’s ability to create small, yet detailed 3-dimensional objects. Each joint has multiple holes to allow rods to fit in 8 different directions.  The dynamic movement of the structure resembles that of a curtain. The structure can take several forms by sliding the joints through the rods: the looping (side) rods slide along a central rod arc. The transition exposed in the photo overlays is between two basic positions: one where the side rods are lying flat on the board and one where they form a full scale volume following the arc.

We created joints of 3 different sizes. Each of the two largest joints connects half of the side rods, so that they are able to rotate from a common point, whilst the smaller joints fix the ends of the rods, allowing linear movement along the arc that passes through the central joint channel.

Printing on the z-corp machine (composite powder) limited the joint’s strength, so further experimentation on possible forms was challenging due to the joints breaking, but nonetheless, we discovered the component’s tension thresholds and exploited its capabilities.

GROUP 02
Karl Francalanza
Dimitrios Aidonis
Tobias Grumstrup Lund Øhrstrøm

Moving rods – movie

Rods are still

Structure in full shape

Joints on the structure

The printed joints

This tower was conceived by the exploration on the material and it’s stress and bending capabilities. The design process started out by testing the best of wood’s properties; tension. A component was created to explore the strength and limits of bending and twisting and the possibilities of clipping and holding under tensile strength. Several prototypes were created until one final component which combined the best bending and stretching behavior with simple and versatile clipping joints.

This single piece is the morpheme from which the tower is built. It’s significance though comes when it is paired with another single piece. The legs are joined top and bottom with each other to become the building block. This joined state places both pieces in tension that locks them together and becomes a strong piece that withstands tension, compression, bending, and twisting.

Finally, once the components where all assembled, we started exploring the possibilities of connections and the resulting form. This process led us to several forms, from simple stacking to create a stout, solid tower, to vertical climbing by connecting ends and using the wood’s tensile strength to tighten the structure. The shape chosen is an ode to the material and the component and the infinite possibilities that the combination of both bring forth.

Group 4 : Chirana Sumendap, Karl Francalanza, Pablo Marcet