In this tiled surface design, the pathways channeling water tangentially branch off 3 (repeated) closed loops. Each of these 3 geometric loops are radially-symmetrical about a combinatory corner of the original hexagonal tile. The three loops have 3 different scales of visual prominence. In the least prominent of the 3, the loop becomes secondary to the web of tangent paths surrounding it.

The tool paths of the CNC routing bits are individually legible, but explicitly follow the primary geometries (a technique similar to those of Intaglio engraving, where the shape of the tool is exploited to lend varying degrees of sharpness or softness to the design).

Our line of thought was to design a joint, which had the ability to move within itself and control the motion of the resultant structure and not just provide the structural support. The exploration trials were of the various possibilities in which the motion of the joint was the result of the structure to be designed and not the structure as the resultant of the joint.

In the final design, the bending properties of the pipe were used in the form of a circle that gives the circular form to the entire structure. The 3D printing technology gave us the chance to explore Joints which could result in dynamic changes in the form of the structure.

A flat disk opening out into a complete cylindrical structure.

The whole structure is assembled of equal triangular bending modules. The modules are using the orientation of the wood’s fibers to enable small radii. The bending’s direction is perpendicular to the fibers’ direction, which means that we are not working against the material and the whole structure gains rigidity. 

Another manipulation that we have incorporated are the vertical holes in each module- we have experimented with their distribution and length in different stages of the project in order to control the flexibility of each piece. There is a circular hole at the end of each “crack” to prevent them from spreading and breaking the geometry.

The levels are created by piling up 4 interlocked modules. The freestanding structure gained a tubal shape due to the vertical repetition.