DIGITAL DESIGN + FABRICATION SM1, 2016 M3 JOURNAL - SUBCONSCIOUS PERCEPTION ALICE FOWLER and AMANI ELJARI 834606 and 757362 MATTHEW GREENWOOD TUTORIAL 4 (MSD 236); GROUP 4E
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INTRODUCTION Our final design of Module 2 responds well to the material system, however we recieved feedback on needing to better address personal space. We plan to refer back to our personal space diagram to produce a new form that more closely relates to this. Our second personal space map now also relates to the frontal areas where more personal space is needed; denser areas. In reviewing our design we decided the large form could create weight and cost issues, and have decided to reduce the size of the overall outer layer form.
Moving forward we plan to test different materials and the spacing, angle and arrangement of the section and profile pieces in order to explore and challenge the section and profile material system. In Module 2 we decided to experiment with using either polypropylene or perspex as the material for the outer layer. However due to thickness and rigidity we decided to use perspex.
PERSONAL SPACE DIAGRAM FROM M2.
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PERSONAL SPACE DIAGRAM SHOWING DENSITIES.
M2 FINAL DESIGN.
DESIGN DEVELOPMENT
NEW FORM FRONT ELEVATION.
NEW FORM ON RHINO.
NEW FORM SIDE ELEVATION.
NEW FORM DISTORTED ON RHINO.
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DESIGN DEVELOPMENT + FABRICATION OF PROTOTYPE V.2
PROTOTYPE OF HEAD PIECE.
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PROTOTYPE OF CONNECTION BETWEEN INNER AND OUTER LAYERS.
HOW THE DESIGN HAS EVOLVED:
M2 FINAL PLAN.
M2 FINAL FRONT ELEVATION.
M2 FINAL RIGHT ELEVATION.
M2 FINAL SOUTH-EAST ISOMETRIC.
M3 FINAL PLAN.
M3 FINAL FRONT ELEVATION.
M3 FINAL RIGHT ELEVATION.
M3 FINAL SOUTH-EAST ISOMETRIC.
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READING RESPONSE WEEK 6 Architecture in the Digital Age - Design + Manufacturing/ Branko Kolarevic, Spon Press, London c. 2003.
In the modern world building projects are realised digitally, drastically evolving the relationship between concept and production. Through knowing the capabilities and availability of equipment and material, architects can now design more specifically. This shift implies that the computability of a design now dictates the constructability. LAYERING - ADDITIVE FABRICATION.
Various digital fabrication processes include:
Two dimensional fabrication: involves two-axis motion of sheet material relative to the cutting head
where by either one or the other or both are moved. Examples of this method are plasma-arc, laser
beam, and water-jet technologies.
Subtractive fabrication: this is the removal of a specified volume of a material from solids using
electro-, chemically-, or mechanically reductive processes. An example of this method is CNC
milling.
Additive fabrication: involves incremental forming by adding a material in a layer-by-layer
sequence. For this to be achieved, the digital model must be sliced into two-dimensional layers first.
This can be done with similar technologies as two-dimensinal fabrication.
FLAT CONNECTING PIECES OF OUR MODEL.
Formative fabrication: uses mechanical forces, restricting forms, or heat, which is applied to a material to form it in the desired shape. This can permanently disfigure a material. In our design we have used a laser cutter to create each of our pieces, which are then manually joined together to make the section and profile model. Digital fabrication has made the process of prototyping a lot easier as it allowed us to easily correct mistakes and advance our model.
STRUCTURAL FRAMEWORK FOR BERNHARD FRANKEN’S
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‘BUBBLE’ BMW PAVILLION.
READING APPLIED TO DESIGN Laser cutting uses a high intensity focused beam of infrared light in combination with a jet of highly pressurised carbon dioxide to melt or burn the material. We are using MDF for the inner layer and Perspex for the outer layer; in terms of the MDF the laser will burn the material, whereas with the Perspex it will melt it. Laser cutting can only cut materials that absorb light energy, which our materials do. They also are limited to sheet materials with a thickness up to 16mm, which is also within the limits of our model. Water-jets on the other hand, can cut anything and at greater thicknesses. We chose to laser cut our pieces because of its precision, accessibility, and cost-effectiveness. Precision was important as there are so many pieces and the way they fit together must be perfect for it to be successful. Manually fittng the pieces together once they were laser cut was very time consuming but it was made easier by proper labelling and precision of pieces.
PRELIMINARY SKETCH OF OUTER LAYER.
RHINO SKETCH OF OUTER LAYER.
PROTOTYPE OF OUTER LAYER.
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READING RESPONSE WEEK 7 Digital Fabrications: architectural + material techniques/Lisa Iwamoto. New York: Princeton Architectural Press c. 2009. Digital fabrication and material techniques calibrate between a virtual model and a physical model. The relatively recent shift from hand-drawing to digital has both limitations and benefits, although as a whole it sparks more possibilities by narrowing the gap between virtual and reality. Digital modelling made experimenting with fabrication techniques easier; it streamlines the production process. 3D computer modelling, as opposed to 2D, and digital fabrication really pushed the boundaries of design and construction. It is now more effortless than ever to create prototypes and upon realising the flaws merely changing it digitally, saving time. For design efficiency, the capabilities of the machines being used must be understood by the designer; they must be able to marry design intent with machine capability. Michael Speaks describes this as ‘design intelligence’ while linking thinking and doing, design and fabrication, and prototype and final design. Thus demonstrating how digital modelling and fabrication
HOUSE ON A TERMINAL LINE, PRESTON SCOTT COHEN, 1997.
blurs the virtual and physical in a streamlined production process. House on a Terminal Line was a laser cut waffle structure, similar to our model. It conceptually unites the ground and house by taking the intersection of the horizontal and vertical members in the digital model. Similarly, waffling was used for the Loewy Bookshop, creating that grid-like form. The benefit of digital fabrication in these instances is it’s ability to create such precise intersections of sections to create the finished whole. CUTTING SECTIONS, CONTOUR COMMAND, RHINO.
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LOEWY BOOKSHOP, JAKOB + MACFARLANE, PARIS, 2001.
READING APPLIED TO DESIGN The implication of using digital fabrication to create our model was that it enabled us to generate many prototypes with quick and ease. With the limited time frame we would not have been able to reach the same level of finesse without the aid of digital modelling and fabrication. Digital modelling also enabled us to better understand our model as it is quite complex. Our model consists of an inner and an outer layer, and each of these layers has a myriad of pieces, Rhino was necessary in order to perfect the aesthetics and constructability of these pieces. Iwamoto highlights that through digital modelling you can be both economical by making lightweight structures and excel with accuracy. Our initial curved surface that resembled our personal space diagram could be unravelled into flat pieces. By turning a flat surface into a 3D one, the object gains rigidity and stiffness and becomes self-supporting. It is also practical to help us scale the model to fit correctly. In today’s society a designer cannot get by without knowing how to operate digital modelling programs. Although studies state that advances are moving too fast for people to keep up (National Research Council, 1999), We believe that these programs are invaluable assets to a designer’s skill set. These researchers fear that designing through these programs may lead to lack of awareness of basic constructability concerns. Digital fabrication advances have ultimately resulted in a new era of innovation and enhancement of modern architecture.
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PROTOTYPE DEVELOPMENT The aid of digital fabrication enabled us to make prototypes each time we changed part of the design.
Aside from the aesthetic appearance of the design, a main aspect that we changed was the size of slots.
Originally they were at 2.9mm thick, but we found this extremely difficult to
assemble leading to the cracking or breaking of many pieces.
For this reason we tried another prototype where they were 3mm and found that
this small change made all the difference. Breakages were kept to a minimum
and the added distance did not affect the structural capability.
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The main thing that has changed from our design in Module 2 to the final is how the pieces in
SECTIONING TEMPLATE
the outer layer are spaced. The M2 design has no variation in spacing, it is all uniform and equal. This however, is contradictory to both our precedent study (The C-Space Pavillion) and the concept of personal space that we aim to convey. One of the properties of the C-Space Pavillion that we wanted to incorporate was it’s in part random spacing where sudden gaps could provide a glimpse inside. This relates well to the idea of personal space as it depicts the often momentary lapse in a person’s protective ‘personal space’ layer and allows an intruder to see in. To explore spacing we made various digital models by using grids like the one on the right, which were then used to section the outer layer. Through extensive trialling we arrived at a model that portrayed this concept perfectly; it is denser around the front were more personal space is required and thin on the sides to allow more sight and light through. Another aspect we modified is the size. Due to our material choice the model would have been very heavy, and so we made it smaller, focusing on the areas where the most space is needed.
M2 DESIGN OF OUTER LAYER.
ORIGINAL SPACING OF OUTER LAYER.
FINAL SPACING OF OUTER LAYER.
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PROTOTYPE OPTIMISATION
We used lighting in order to add a visual evocation to our model. This was in unison with the remodelling of the outer layer, which created different densities in different areas of the model. Brightness and colour is controlled with a remote. We have chosen to use clouded perspex to build our outer layer as it causes an ominous glow through the material. Clear perspex simply does not give the same effect as it does not carry the light but rather plainly shows each individual LED globe in plain sight. The images
PARTIALLY SANDED PERSPEX PROTOTYPE WITH LIGHTS.
to the right demonstrate the ability of the clouded perspex as
opposed to clear. Varied spacing and width of the pieces create changing opacities depending on the angle at which you view the structure. These changing
SANDED PERSPEX PROTOTYPE WITH LIGHTS.
opacities mimic the changing nature of ones personal space, at times people are more
open and susceptable to letting people in Our concept here is that the light is quite dull
and neutral until someone comes into the
wearer’s personal space bubble. When this happens
the
light becomes really bright, as controlled by the other
group member, representative of ones perceptability to the presence of others.
SANDED PERSPEX IN FRONT OF LIGHTS + HEAD.
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Subconscious Perception consists of both medium density fibreboard (MDF) and perspex. The MDF is being used for the inside layer, which sits directly on the body. We chose to use MDF because of it’s material properties of strength and stiffness. Ofcourse perspex shares these features and based on this reason alone we could have made the entire project out of a single material, however we did not do this based on
cost-effectiveness and the fact that it is to be spray painted black anyway. The reason for the black inner layer is partially aesthetic since the laser burn
marks on the timber is not appealing, but is also so it will blend with the
clothes of the model. With an inconspicuous inner layer, the main
attention is drawn to the way the model adheres to the concept of
personal space, with the control of light through the perspex.
PERSPEX PRIOR TO SANDING.
The outer layer will appear to be floating.
The outer layer is designed in clouded perspex. We initially
trialled clear perspex so that the lighting effect would glow
through. However upon testing it we found that the light
was too harsh and we did not get the glow we had
imagined. We then turned to clouded perspex,
however the pricing was significantly more than
the clear. We decided to try sanding the
perspex, which fortunately gave a very similar
effect to that of the clouded perspex. It was
more work, but necessary to the emotional effect
SANDED PERSPEX PROTOTYPE.
of the model. As a result we could achieve that glow that represents the wearer’s inner persona and their
interaction’s with others in social situations.
BLACK MDF INNER HEAD PIECE.
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PROTOTYPE OPTIMISATION CONNECTING PIECES We chose to connect the vertical members from the inner and outer layer in order to hold up the outer layer. The vertical members were chosen as the material proved to be stronger facing vertically as opposed to lying flat due to the orientation of the cross section.
DEFLECTION OF DIFFERENT CROSS SECTIONS.
FABLAB CUTTING FILE.
SMALLER PIECES Creating discontinuing pieces, reduced the size of our pieces, which resulted in less breakage and more efficient use of materials. Having smaller pieces means the pieces do not have to span over multiple slots creating less tension and chance of breakage. The smaller pieces are easier to position closely together when laying out the FabLab cutting file, meaning more pieces can fit on each sheet, reducing the number of required sheets. Another change that we made to enhance the structural capability of the model was to increase the width of the pieces. Not only did this reduce the possibility of breakage, it acts as a overhang where we can attach the lights for effect.
SPACING Varying the spacing of the pieces across the structure, greatly reduced the weight of our structure, making it less fragile. To create the varying spacing in the digital model we first created a sectioning template. Once satisfied with this the model was sectionned accordingly.
SECTIONING TEMPLATE.
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LABELLING THE PIECES Each piece has a letter, either H or V, to indicate whether the piece sits horizontally or vertically in the structure. This letter is followed by a number indicating the positioning of the piece, piece V1 being the top most vertical piece and H1 being the left most horizontal piece.
In cases where there are multiple pieces sitting at the same level the pieces were labelled in a clockwise direction as the numbers go up.
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PROTOTYPE OPTIMISATION Creating discontinuing pieces, reduced the size of our pieces, which resulted in less breakage and more efficient use of materials. Having smaller pieces means the pieces do not have to span over multiple slots creating less tension and chance of breakage. The smaller pieces are eas-
INNER LAYER BODY FULL PROTOTYPE.
ier to position closely together when laying out the laser cutting file, meaning more pieces can fit on each sheet, reducing the number of required sheets. WEEK 6 PROTOTYPE.
PARTS OF FULL PROTOTYPE.
FULL PROTOTYPE.
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OUTER LAYER HEAD FULL PROTOTYPE.
We had to be mindful of materials when creating our FabLab cutting files. As seen on one of the files, to the right, we aimed to fit as many pieces as possible onto the one sheet. Perspex, even moreso than MDF, is expensive to buy and so we did this to save on costs.
Selective use of resources is also important so as to reduce wastage, the uncut pieces of the materials are disposed of as they cannot be used for anything else. In a day and age where resources may be limited, we believe this is extremely important. Also to reduce the damage to the environment through the manufacture and transport of these materials, which are then simply FABLAB CUTTING FILE.
disgarded. We wanted to limit the amount of waste we produced.
This did make it harder and more time consuming for us; both assembling the document, and in fabrication when finding the right pieces was tricky. 17
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2nd SKIN FINAL DESIGN
NORTH-EAST ISONOMETRIC.
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NORTH-WEST ISONOMETRIC.
SOUTH-EAST ISONOMETRIC.
SOUTH-WEST ISONOMETRIC.
FRONT ELEVATION.
BACK ELEVATION.
LEFT ELEVATION.
RIGHT ELEVATION.
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Finally, through strenuous prototype optimisation we arrived at the final design; one that we believe impeccably showcases the concept of personal space.
The images below show the three different layers that work together to connect the model.
PLAN.
INNER LAYER.
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INNER LAYER + CONNECTING PIECES.
INNER LAYER + CONNECTING PIECES + OUTER LAYER.
FABRICATION SEQUENCE
LASER CUT ALL PIECES.
SANDED PERSPEX.
FITTING CONNECTING AND HORIZONTAL MEMBERS.
FIXED ANY CRACKED PIECES.
CONNECTING HEAD OUTER LAYER.
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INNER LAYER.
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INNER AND OUTER.
INNER, OUTER, AND LIGHTING.
ASSEMBLY DRAWING INNER LAYER
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OUTER LAYER
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2nd SKIN
SIDE ELEVATION OF MODEL.
FRONT ELEVATION OF MODEL.
MODEL WITH LIGHTING.
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APPENDIX Architecture in the Digital Age - Design and Manufacturing/Branko Kolarevic. London: Spon Press, c. 2003. Digital Fabrications: architectural + material techniques/Lisa Iwamoto. New York: Princeton Architectural Press c. 2009. Being Fluent With Information Technology/National Research Council. The National Academies Press, 1999.
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