ACSA Design-Build Award 2014-2015 Winner: Submission Materials
Audi-Fab Design Build Research Studio EMILY BAKER American University of Sharjah
prototypes developed during the studio
AUDI-FAB
Design Build Research Studio
Acoustics and fabrication processes were the dual-focus of this undergraduate architecture studio sequence that utilized full-scale prototyping as a means to develop innovative material systems for interior applications. Students conceived and prototyped alternatives during the fall semester and developed a site-specific intervention during the spring semester.
students visit local construction industry partners
CONTEXT
The project, set in the UAE, was undertaken in a part of the world where architects often act as consultants to engineers. Thus, the role of the architect is frequently perceived as an image-maker, rather than someone possessing an extensive understanding of material systems, construction processes, and how the technical aspects of building relate to design. Evidence of this shows itself in buildings and interiors that regularly lack well-considered details and seem to represent a collection of disparate choices rather than a cohesive design intent. At the same time, the region is full of advanced technological capability for constructing buildings, and opportunities for architects there are rich. Emerging architects will be empowered as they learn to leverage an understanding of material systems, construction methods, and fabrication technologies toward more sophisticated built work, and to involve nonvisual elements, such as acoustics, in pursuit of more holistic designs.
students consult with acoustic engineers in person and via video, discuss with campus architects, and learn about construction techniques
PROTOTYPING SEMESTER 1
Students completed modules in the first semester that taught fabrication skills, introduced various processes employed by local building industry, and supported self-directed research in architectural acoustics through interaction with acoustic engineers as consultants. Concurrent with these experiences, students began to formulate design ideas that would transform a noisy and reverberant interior space, such as their studio, into one with more pleasing acoustics while preserving the openness that is crucial to a studio environment.
students engage in iterative prototyping, making use of CNC lasercutting and welding and other fabrication techniques
through iterative constructing, students learned the art of translating design ideas into fabrication data
ITERATION & REFINEMENT
Gaining intuition from direct experience with materials was a major goal of the course, so students began to prototype their design ideas early in the process. This allowed them to iterate and refine their evolving systems based on a number of factors—greater understanding of material properties, grasp of acoustic principles, input from a consultant, ease of constructability, structural concerns, elegance of detail, material availability, aesthetic desire, etc. The “failure� of any prototype was at least as useful as a success because it exposed usable limits and pointed to possible transformations. Four very different group projects emerged from this semester, each of which employed a strategy of adding acoustically absorptive and diffusive surfaces at the ceiling and/or wall level to promote acoustical comfort.
Project 1 -- wood and steel laser-cut components become a partition wall system that can accommodate multiple functions including sound absorption, seating and light table
Project 2 -- the digital cutting and stitiching of felt was the basis of this absorbant partition wall system with steel structure. a GFRP version was developed with partners
steel cable
steel frame
wood sheet rockwool cloth sack
Unit section
Project 3 -- the bending properties of thin plywood was the foundation of this ceiling design, intended more as a light and inexpensive covering for acoustic insulation above.
Unit Components
Project 4 -- curved folding was the structural idea behind this system, originally conceived as both ceiling and wall. paper explorations gave rise to steel prototypes.
Project 4 -- perforations on the inner faces of this partition system provide access to acoustically absorptive material within the hollow core of the wall units.
detail of stainless steel wall permanently installed in the school of architecture
DESIGN / BUILD SEMESTER 2
One prototype utilized curved folding in steel to create a structurally stable partition wall system that is hollow, allowing for an acoustically absorptive core to be active through perforations in the metal skin. The curved faces and voids in this system act as a diffusive surface and allow for oblique views, resulting in a wall system that dampens sound but also is more screen than solid partition. The second semester was concerned with translating this system into a permanent interior installation within the school of architecture. Students confronted disparate constraints such as time, budget, material availability, durability, maintenance, and a diversity of interests and opinions. A parametrically controllable digital model was crafted to allow design freedom while maintaining the precise tuning of geometry found in prototyping.
CIRCULATION – CURRENT FLOOR PLAN SECTION BB’
SPACIAL FUNCTIONS SPACIAL FUNCTIONS
plan
section
FUNCTIONS SPACIAL FUNCTIONS
the installation was designed to accommodate multiple functions, providing a part of the large open studio that is less reverborant and more acoustically comfortable
AXON – COLUMN ASSEMBLY
nomenclature diagram audifab arc 502
plan showing location of thickened baseplates
2d surfaces
3d pieces
2d surfaces
assembly axon (even,5)
(odd,5)
(even,4)
(odd,4)
AXON - DETAIL
(even,3) (odd,3)
(even,2)
(odd,2)
(even,1) (odd,1) (even,0)
(odd,0)
left = even no.
front= exterior (taller) face
right = odd no.
component assembly diagram
important: consider the (taller/ exterior) face the front side to decide what is left and right.
assembly axon
four curves were the basis for the parametric model that both generated the shifting geometry (allows specific views) and the cut files for laser cutting
construction process: stainless steel “columns� were cut, assembled, stuffed with insulation, and then installed on site. protective clothing was used while handling insulation.
DETAIL DETAIL CUTS CUTS
ADDITION OF SEAMS
shift in plan is tangible evidence of need for construction tolerance in digital design
very small revisions to the flat cut pattern (above) result in refinement of fit during assembly
a change from the original large prototype, the new design fused several pieces eliminating joints. this proved to create stress in the system causing dents. seams were reintroduced which solved the issue and eliminated dents
DIGITAL & MATERIAL TOLERANCES
Construction tolerance as it relates to digital fabrication is no less important than in traditional construction. The disparity between the planned footprint of the installation and its actual placement in the space exposes the difference between the digital version and its material progeny. It was transformative for students to understand and address construction tolerance within their designs. This had ramifications down to the fraction of millimeter when producing files to be cut on the laser. The design solutions from both semesters evidence a grasp of not only the need to deal with construction tolerance, but also the possibility to use such constraints as design catalysts.
students surrounded by their work
MATERIAL LEGACY
This studio sequence is the second major design/build effort in the school and the first to adopt an initial semester for prototyping. It was clear that because the prototyping semester foregrounded the students’ exposure to materials and fabrication, they were able to delve into design with a deeper understanding of possibilities as well as constraints, and the construction process was greatly streamlined. The experience of these architectural interventions around the school creates a discourse around fabrication, material choice, and spatial order. It allows for a didactic catalog of fabrication principles and processes that students can draw from, critique, and work to advance in future projects.