The concept of the tower was to experiment with the flexibility of the wood and its thresholds of bending as the main tension force.
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. Read More
First Digital Fabrication Exercise is concluded. The school’s courtyard is now hosting the final towers made by laser cutting. Our final result is a free-standing structure that looks back at the building rationality and simplicity to reach the top. The structure has been first thought as an assembly of X shaped pieces. These pieces has been then optimized removing material and allowing in this way the soft bending. Some extra pieces drive the bending pathway creating a solid assembly, while others are arranged as crosses to avoid the horizontal movements. The overall composition looks thin and light as it was preferred to concentrate the material along the height only where necessary in order to get higher.
Our main idea is to explore the potentiality and limitations that the material could achieve, through theoretical study and various practical tests.
We enclose our research in 5 key points that have helped us to work with a scientific method through this research:
1. FLEXURE – TORSION
2. HEIGHT
3. TAPERING
4. STRIPES
5. ZIPPER
We decided to follow the angle connection (zip tensile forces) after searching and tried different types of joints and cuts in order to obtain different movements and stiffness.
Using 3D models we designed the general form of our tower, trying to push it to the maximum limit towards the research of materiality through the form.
After creating different models, we chose the best one that could answer to our research; we proceeded to the drawing of the flat surfaces and the design of the differents base and height connections.
Structures arrived around 09:30 Wednesday morning Otober 16, 2013. MAA 2013-2014 students used the past week to explore materials, design, and digitally fabricate prototypical structures, joints, and connections. Groups, comprised of 3-4 students, were prompted to create the tallest structure scaled 1:5 made out of 1mm thick cardboard without the use of nails, glue, or any other supplementary material.
Size, shape, and geometry varied between groups and the ideas of advanced architecture as they are applied to lightweight structures were explored through a process of trial and error. Groups experimented with optimization of material, joints and construction process while considering weight and height constraints.
Tutors: Alexandre Dubor, Anastasia Pistofidou, & Edouard Cabay discussed each prototype and gave feedback encouraging students to crush, force, and push the structures to failure. Moving forward the goal is to create stronger structures by understanding the materials and how they will deform. This will be achieved through the analysis of failed members, connections, or supports of each structure.
Further constraints will be given in the following classes. Final installations, of plywood, will be presented on October 30, 2013.
