Architectural Design // Parametric Wall Design // 2014

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There have been six different types of wood native to New Zealand that have been researched in this project.

This analysis will be used to help make a decision on which tree’s wood, would be best suitable for the parametric wall.

The decomposition of the wood of each tree is what has been chosen to be researched further. Here the particular disease that affects the specific tree the most will be chosen and analyzed against the other trees and the one that seems most interesting will be the one that will be chosen to influence the pattern and design of the parametric wall.

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SARC 162 PARAMETRIC WALL PROJECT ONE BY AUSTIN D’SOUZA

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TOTARA

MATAI

RIMU

Mealybug:

Juniper scale:

Huhu Beetle:

Can be treated using sprayable chemicals such as Verticillium Celanii and Diazinon.

Circular flat armoured insects that attack the wood of a tree and suck all the sap from the wood, leaving the tree dry and weak. Starts off on the surface of the plant and builds up in its’ pores.

Unarmoured scale insects that live in mostly humid and warm climates. They form clusters around the plant and feed on the plant juice, drying it out.

Insects tend to start at the leaves, then make their way to the wood.

Huhu beetle is a large bush insect that chews through rimu wood leaving a trail of hollow tunnels. It leaves the wood weak and exposes it to rot and humidity. Starts off eating at the soft wood and then proceeds to the hardwood.

Can be treated by fumigating logs with methyl bromide.

REDWOOD

KAURI

PINE

Borer:

Mealybug:

Black stain root disease:

Tiny insects that chews though timber making holes and tunnels throughout the wood. Starts off at one end and eats at the wood till it comes out the other. Lays eggs that can spread disease rapidly, leaving the wood weak.

CHOSEN WOOD

Can be controlled using chemical sprays but needs to be timed perfectly. Can’t be prevented unless extinction of the disease.

Unarmoured scale insects that live in mostly humid and warm climates. They form clusters around the plant and feed on the plant juice, drying it out.

Insects tend to start at the leaves, then make theirway to the wood.

Can be treated using sprayable chemicals as well as stains and liquid that can be injected into holes. Timber treated fully can prevent this disease.

Can be treated using sprayable chemicals such as Verticillium Celanii and Diazinon.

Vascular disease causes extensive black staining of the sapwood. Spread occours through root grafts and contacts. Leads to introduction of bark beetles whicheventually dry the tree of its’ nutrients.

There is no control of this disease, once infected the infected part is useless. Can be prevented by spacing trees far apart at plantation or digging trenches.

The wood that has been chosen to be the material of the parametric wall is the one of the Redwood tree.

The most interesting aspect of this case is the borers penetrating the tree’s surface and eating through the tree’s core, leaving the tree damaged and vulnerable.

Key factors research:

Case study:

Further research has been undertaken on key aspects of the of the different woods’ vulnerability.

The study that is being undertaken here is the relationship between temperature changes in the next 50 years and the character of the tree.

Here we see what effect the tempreature in 50 years time will have on the tree, and also how much damage the insect has or will have done by then. After this we forecast how the tree might look and what the consequences of the insect are on the chosen wood type.

In-ground Durability

15 10 5 0 Matai

Kauri

Rimu

Redwood

Pine

Wood type In-ground durability (untreated)

Investigation into to durability of the wood in the ground

Temp intensity

Years

20

2

18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0

0

Temp Intensity

25

Climate + Insect Relation

-2

Totara

Matai

Kauri

Rimu

Redwood

Pine

3m

3m

-4

Totara

Matai

Kauri

Rimu

Redwood

Pine

Weather (1-Cold, 5-Hot)

Insect vulnerability (1-Low, 5-High)

3.5m

Conclusion:

-6 -8

wood type 6

The water then freezes and expands in the tunnels which hold the water deposits. This then widens the tree’s diameter and scales the surface of the tree, deforming it.

These tunnels are then filled with water over time and start to soften and weaken the wood.

The original tunnels that are made from the borers eating through the wood.

Low Temprature changes

High temperature changes

30

Observation: The borers seem to consume the inner wood of the tree rather than the outer wood.

Consequence of low temperatures:

-10

Study shows that the wood from the Redwood tree will expand when exposed to very low temperatures.

The water will settle in the tunnels made by the borer bug and when kept at a constant cool temperature the water molecules will freeze and expand, therefore tearing the wood fibres and streching them out.

Wood type Weather (1-Cold, 5-Hot)

Insect vulnerability (1-Low, 5-High)

Severity

5

Observations:

4 3

The study that has been chosen to influence the parametric wall is the one where extream changes that occour at low temperatures are explored. This will be done 50 years into the future and will be recorded to see how it influences the wood and it’s character.

2 1 0 Totara

Matai

Kauri

Rimu

Redwood

There seems to be small triangle-like splinters extruding out from the trunk of the tree, which could possibly be used in the parametric wall design.

Pine

Wood type Weather (1-Cold, 5-Hot)

Insect vulnerability (1-Low, 5-High)

Investigation into the relationship between climate and insect severity

Selection of this study has been done in hope of finding interesting observations that will help aid the extraction of a pattern for the wall.

Original

Wood character + Insect relation 6

Severity

5

Water enters the tunnels and freezes over time expanding the tree and shredding the wood.

It has also been observed that the borer bug seems to eat away at the center of the wood, creating interesting forms that radiate outwards.

Change

4 3 2

Expands to 3.5 m in diameter.

1 0 Totara

Matai

Kauri

Rimu

Redwood

wood type Wood Character (1-soft, 5-hard)

Pine

TEMPERATURE DROP OVER NEXT 50 YEARS

Insect vulnerability

Investigation into the relationship between wood character and insect severity

Further research will have to be undertaken to see what the low temperature does to the voids that were created by the borer bug. This will then be extracted along with the other research to obtain a pattern that will be used for the parametric wall.

Water molecules in cold water

Water molecules in ice

Observations from this case study show that the tree does not cope well with low temperatures due to the infiltration of excess water into the tree’s wood fiber.

This produces interesting forms and shapes which will be used to influence the parametric wall design pattern.

PATTERN GENERATION INITIAL CONCEPTS: 1

3

2

5

4

The five initial conpects were developed form basic linear shapes. Two concepts were then chosen, and then further delevoped using the research that was undertaken in the previous stage.

There were two types of initial patterns that were chosen, one whichcould develop the borer hole idea and one which would convey the case study.

CONCEPT ITERATIONS:

Chosen iteration

Chosen iteration

In this series of iterations the idea of the borers eating through middle of the tree is explored.

Here the diagonal lines represent the messy nature of the borers and the movement that is formed through the pattern represents the random paths that the borers tend to take.

This iteration represents the holes that the borers make through the wood of the redwood tree.

The different hole sizes represent the diferent sizes of borers and also they way the tunnels expand when the water eventually freezes inside of them.

FINAL PARAMETRIC WALL PATTERN:

Here is where the two iterations come together. The diagonal elements of the borer’s path is captured using the crosses along with the overall diagonal composition of the pattern. The square path represents the holes that are carved into the Redwood tree’s wood, iterestingly in contrast as the composition that if made i s rather linear and symetrical.

The patern is developed oncemkore, with this time the focus is on the case study. The voids between the modules have been increased, which is done to show the relation to when the tunnels are filled with water and then freezed up. The result of that is expansion, just as it is with this, and the extra triangles that have been incorporated inbetween the squares reselble the tearing of the wood fibers in the wood when it freezes

This is a gradient map of the parametric wall. The modules that are extruded further out are represented in darker colours and the brighter greens are representations of the modules that sit further back in the composition. This aspect has been taken from the research were the study showed that the tree tends to expand when the tunnels are frozen with water. This gives a three dimentional field to the wall which encourages interaction with the users.

PATTERN GENERATION

*All drawings are 1:50 scale unless stated otherwise

PLAN B

C

B1

C1

2000

A

A1

SECTION A - A1

SECTION B - B1

7000

RIGHT ELEVATION

FRONT ELEVATION

FRONT ELEVATION

BORER TUNNEL INTERACTION

WESTERLY ROTATION

EASTERLY ROTATION

SOUTHERLY ROTATION

NORTHERLY ROTATION

SECTION CUTS

PARAMETRIC WALL TOPOGRAPHY

SECTION C - C1