4400 Harding Pike # 1000 Nashville, TN 37205 615.297.3122
Gould Turner Group Architects. Planners. Interiors.
Part 1 of 2 Video: The Future of Architecture, Gould Turner Group Uses Advanced 3D Printing Technology December 21, 2016
Gould Turner Group recently partnered with Branch Technology to create the first large-scale 3D printed open-cell structure in the country for the Cheekwood International Playhouse Design Competition in Nashville, Tennessee. The exhibit named Casa d'Espanya showcased an outdoor playhouse inspired by the Cheek family's visit to Spain during the 1920s and 1930s. The Gould Turner Group design team, comprised of architecture graduates from the University of Tennessee, the University of Pennsylvania, Kansas State University, and the University at Buffalo (SUNY), used innovative materials and technology to provide a fun, visually mesmerizing and enjoyable space for children. By partnering with Branch Technology, a Chattanooga-based startup who uses a state-of-theart Kuka Robotics arm to print large 3D structures, the design team discovered that the open-matrix cellular fabrication technique allowed them to create freeform and lightweight structures that would have otherwise been extremely difficult to build using traditional methods of construction. It's an exciting time as technology has the potential to revolutionize the way we manufacture and build things. The design team at Gould Turner Group found that cross-pollination with other professionals, such as those in material science is instrumental in challenging notions of high-performance building design and construction. Other related collaborations over the past year include, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory ORNL Group developing one of the world's first printed cars using the Cincinnati-based Big Area Additive Manufacturing (BAAM). In the last month, SHoP Architects from NYC also partnered with Branch Technology to use the same 3D printed technology for an installation at the Miami Institute of Contemporary Art to surpass the Casa d'Espanya exhibit in size, now holding the world record for the largest 3D printed object. Stay tuned to the second segment of ‘The Future of Architecture’ which focuses on the mosaic design concepts of the playhouse and possibilities that 3D printing has to revolutionize architecture and building assemblies.
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4400 Harding Pike # 1000 Nashville, TN 37205 615.297.3122
Gould Turner Group Architects. Planners. Interiors.
Gould Turner Group Project Team Leaders: Dane Danielson, Assoc. AIA, MArch Director of Education University of Pennsylvania, PennDesign - School of Architecture University at Buffalo (SUNY), School of Architecture + Planning Rebecca Shew, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C Designer, Project Coordinator University of Tennessee Knoxville, College of Architecture + Design Tyler J. Jacobson, Assoc. AIA, MArch Designer, Project Coordinator Kansas State University, College of Architecture, Planning and Design (CAPD) Matthew E. McCrary, Assoc. AIA, LEED AP BD+C Designer, Project Coordinator University of Tennessee Knoxville, College of Architecture + Design A special thanks to the American Institute of Architects Middle Tennessee and Cheekwood who graciously hosted the playhouse event. Additional thanks to the donations provided by Louisville Tile and Batten & Shaw Construction.
VIDEO LINK
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Gould Turner Group Architects. Planners. Interiors.
4400 Harding Pike # 1000 Nashville, TN 37205 615.297.3122
Casa d'Espanya Digital Fabrication Q/A How is 3D printing different than traditional construction? Modern buildings are systems that come together to form the strength of a wall. In traditional construction, a site-built column, even if it is made by lightweight wood, could weigh a couple hundred pounds. Advanced 3D printing techniques developed by Branch Technology, allowed the Casa d'Espanya exhibit to be an extremely light-weight structure that was fabricated in an off-site location, benefitting from an extended production time void of external weather impacts. Does the assembly method change the way we build today? When delivered to the site, each component has a unique location identifier allowing the entire lightweight matrix to be constructed rapidly and with minimal physical effort. In Casa d'Espanya, a single column weighed less than 15 pounds and could be held with the pinky finger of each hand. When the assembly sequence is properly planned, connecting each piece of the exhibit is no different than a ten piece puzzle – anyone can put it together. How big can the 3D modules be? The adapted Kuka Robotics arm is connected to an extruded head, feet of piping, and a hopper that heats thermoplastics that are then layered and cooled to create the solid open-cell geometries. According to Branch Technology, the machine with a 12-and-one-half-foot arm can print a matrix 25feet wide by 58-feet long. Can computational modeling improve our workflow? On a day-to-day basis, most architecture firms are kneedeep in paper. Our workflow process was much different. As the digital design was shared between Branch Technology and our team, not a single piece of paper was used. We found the simplicity the digital model exchange and fine-tuning of the model within the computer a remarkably simple process between the Gould Turner Group design team and fabricator Branch Technology. How do you deal with real-world construction constraints? In Nashville, Tennessee the exhibit was developed using sophisticated computational software allowing the Gould Turner Group team to mold and visualize the geometry in three dimensions. Several hundred miles away in Chattanooga, the 3D model was built with extreme precision, making it possible to detail using actual material sizes and standard dimensions where traditional elements, such as plywood and wood studs, attached to the 3D model. Volumetric modeling also allowed our team to calculate the bulk cost of each design decision and precisely adapt the model to a sloped site at Cheekwood botanical gardens. Has 3D design changed the way Gould Turner Group designs in the real world? The digital feedback loop between the design team Gould Turner Group and fabrication firm Branch Technology, was done in real-time, allowing for smooth transition between conceptual design and reality. Fabrication software used by Branch Technology allowed the design team to conceptualize beyond the limits of the pure volume and experiment with algorithms that tessellate curvature and adjust cellular thickness for changing dimensions within the model. In practice, we’re on-board with state-of-the art 3D software called Revit and have been experimenting with plug-in software that allows users to experience the model at real-time in any season or time of the day. What type of material was the Casa d'Espanya structure? Composed of thousands of incredibly complex interconnected networks of extruded plastic strands that are heat-bonded together, complex geometries are able to be formed. The thermoplastics are heated, layered to create a structure, and then cooled. The freeform 3D printer solidifies the material that is a mixture of ABS plastic and carbon or glass fiber.
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Gould Turner Group Architects. Planners. Interiors.
4400 Harding Pike # 1000 Nashville, TN 37205 615.297.3122
Early concept rendering
Numbered components that are ready for delivery
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Gould Turner Group Architects. Planners. Interiors.
4400 Harding Pike # 1000 Nashville, TN 37205 615.297.3122
ABS Plastic Material with glass fiber matrix
Dane Danielson, University of Pennsylvania School of Design March ’08, holding the lightweight 3D print component
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Gould Turner Group Architects. Planners. Interiors.
4400 Harding Pike # 1000 Nashville, TN 37205 615.297.3122
Mock-up of the assembly
Component site assembly
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Gould Turner Group Architects. Planners. Interiors.
4400 Harding Pike # 1000 Nashville, TN 37205 615.297.3122
Learning from the mock-up process.
The heat-is on... The 3D print is an additive process, for us, printing upside-down used less support members which reduced material loss. We used the palm-sized prototype to analyze geometric components and aspects of constructability. Modeling complicated geometries in threedimensions assisted to discover problems that could otherwise be missed when the model is viewed exclusively through a virtual environment.
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