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Solar House Construction in IaaC


The prototype for the self-sufficient solar house for the Solar Decathlon ‘FabLabHouse’ Europe, is being constructed entirely in the IaaC premises. With its completion aheading on the 18th-28th of June, Students who are doing their Masters Project in this theme, Fabhouse researchers, FabAcademy team, faculty and participants are working on every part of the pieces for the house. Under construction now are the cladding, the ramp, the interiors and the stairs.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged buildings, Classes, energy, environmental, FabLab Barcelona, self-sufficient Leave a comment
Master Project III: Multiple Results
With the Team of Jordi Pagès i Ramon and Lluis Viu the Theme of ‘Multiple Results or the exuberant world of possibilities’ has started. In the current paradigm of architectural design, scripting and parametric control,the idea of multiplicity takes a new momentum.A bigger importance is given to the projects “solution” rather than to the resulting formal structure, visualizing the implicit multiplicity of forms and structures within the ranges of different parameters. This opens up a world of possibilites that the studio wants to tab. Students spoke to the team aiming to make their architectural projects a final version which will be a series of multiple possibilities.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged buildings, Classes, mobility, multiple results, parametric Leave a comment
Master Project Theme I: Eco-Machinic Apparatus
The Theme in Eco-Machinic Apparatus with Tutors from Ecologic Studio-Marco Poletto and Claudia Pasquero - www.ecologicstudio.com – has started. Students were presented with examples of prototypes of the eco-machine, the apparatus and what the thinking behind it. This is a Thesis framework which will concentrate on the development of suchinstrument, the “eco-Machinic Apparatus”, an architectonic platform wheretechnology embedded in new forms of synthetic life. “The Apparatus” offersthe opportunity to incorporate scientific and technical ‘know how’ while testingin real time its effects within the realm of architectural and urban design.
Posted in Uncategorized Tagged apparatus, Classes, eco machinic, Experiment, future, Masters Thesis 1 Comment
freshfibre_iPhonecover_FOC
Freedom of Creation have been exploring the field of 3D printing for over a decade. They believe that one of the promsing technologies that will bring losts of new opportunities to 3D printing is printing in paper.
They are one of the first to print a FreshFibre iphone cover using the matrix 300 printer. The printer was developed by MCOR who have been exploring the technology of several years. ’For the first time the layering effext of 3D printing is actually adding value to the finish and look and feel of the product’. They slipped in a stack of rainbow-coloured paper into the MCOR’s input hopper, resulting in the the multicoloured iPhone cover. With paper printing, the object can be coloured before it’s even made. What is intriguing about printing in paper is that the process itself is fairly simple, its about stacking layers of paper and removing what you don’t need.
It’s the greenest and most low-cost technology for 3D printing, therefore Freedom Of Creations’ Imagineering department is researching possible applications ranging from collection products to scale models and promotional material for clients.

Using the same technology the chair ”Little Albert” by Ron Arad, Moroso and printed for Hector Serrano was printed with commonly available office paper stock.
The Marix 300’s specifications:
- Build chamber: 27.7 x 19.0 x 15.0 cm (10.9 x 7.5 x 5.9 inches)
- System weight: 160 kg (350 pounds)
- Material: A4 paper, 80 grams
- Z-Axis thickness: 0.1mm
- Power: 240 volts, 1 kilowatt
The Matrix 300 comes with proprietary software for using existing .STL files
All that with operating costs of less than one euro cent (or maybe just over a US cent) per cubic centimetre of printout.
As a highly cost effective and rapid manufacturing technique that uses renewable resources, this technology clearly opens us doors for further exploration and the development of larger format machines that have the potential to take on larger scale applications in architecture and urban design.
Steven Holl Architects – Porosity Project
Steven Holl Architects wanted to do experiments in porosity and decided to take on the Porosity project. Random porosity involves a non-linear repetition of individual components in varying scales, while recursive porosity employs mathematical strategies to generate infinitely complex patterns.
Name: Porosity
Program: experiments in porosity
Size: 50 m2
Material: Developed in collaboration with Albefex Srl. of Treviso, Italy, the composite “Albeflex BL Special” is designed to be lightweight, self-supporting and capable of taking advantage of CNC driven digital fabrication techniques. Formed of cross-laminated plies of wood veneer and a central core of a proprietary new fabric and paper composite with a total thickness of 1.8 mm in four laminae, Albeflex has significantly less mass than similar materials based on sheet metal core materials. In addition, second stage fabrication associated with metal cores such as on a press brake, is eliminated as the hinge formed by the laser or water-jet scoring of the wood plies is flexible enough to allow for flat shipping and bending in the field.
Assembly: Three dimensional forms are digitally resolved into flat panels which are then automatically nested for maximally efficient use of the basic sheet size of 3050mm x 1050 mm. Individual panels, which are numbered and sequenced during the CNC fabrication process, thus eliminating the need for traditional shop or assembly drawing, are fabricated with 75mm scored border flaps. Folding and through-bolting of these flanges forms an autonomous diaphragm structure which provides rigidity through the interconnection of all elements.
Random and Recursive Porosity: Five experimental porous patterns are laser cut form the material, each exploring a particular aspect of the non-repetitive made possible by digital fabrication. Random porosity involves a non-linear repetition of individual components in varying scales, while recursive porosity employs mathematical strategies to generate infinitely complex patterns. In one experiment, Pascal’s Theorem is used as a generator for a porous cloud of hexagon-derived openings. The random and non-repetitive character of the experiment gives rise to a limitless range of rich and unexpected spatial phenomena.
Studio 63 – Dex Showroom
DEX Showroom designed by Italy-based firm Studio 63 architecture and design. The project maintains its reputation due to the facade design that appears like a pixelized picture of the trees, filtering the natural and indoor lighting between inside and outside, creating a dramatic screen along the street.
Project: DEX Showroom
Location: Florence, Italy
Area: 360 Sqm
A row of trees that run along the plot became the inspiration for the design team creating architecture that engaged with its context, softly taking place in it but being at same time strongly characterized.
The facade is the assembly of 270 laser-cut metal frames painted white – which holes change in dimensions and distances – the skin of the building appears like a pixelized picture of the trees that are in front of it. This kind of metalwork allows the façade to change its aspect according to the change of the external daylight as well as of the night inner light. In this way the skin becomes sort of theatrical flat that mediate the relationship between the outside and the inside.




















