MINI. FRACTAL HOUSE

Within nature there are patterns and mathematics that dictate the way a form generates its volume. These behaviors are paths in which cells or stars connect and sprawl into a shape. A lot of these patterns can be classified under what a fractal is. A fractal is a geometric figure, each part of which has the same statistical characteristics as the whole. So, what that means is the more you zoom in or zoom out of a fractal, the same ratios and geometry will be seen. This provides an infinite amount of resolution and generation of forms.

For this project I wanted to take a mini house assignment and provide a unique twist where I used fractals as a way to make the facade pair with the interesting staggered spatial arrangement of the interior. But before I did this, I needed to come up with a philosophy for how fractals could be used as a 3D object.

Fractals, as mentioned are almost infinite, so they have a lot of data to work with, which makes model files too large to deal with. So, to effectively work with fractals, I had to apply some implicit design de- cisions, where I cut out specific forms in smaller sizes and used them like paint on a pallet. With my different assembly of forms I began to apply them to the facade.

While using fractals there were a few lessons I learned through this process. One being that in architecture we have methods or routines that lead us to come to design conclusions. For example, we will use massing diagrams to help us understand how to assemble a space. When using fractals, I noticed a method on how to generate design ideas. I can use fractal equations to generate an infinite fractal and find any form I want. I then select the ones that apply to how I want to direct my project.