HONEYBEES are the insects most responsible for the pollination of flowers, which in turn makes agriculture and food production possible. It has been said that one in three bites of food we eat is directly or indirectly pollinated by honeybees. The health of food crops is tightly linked with the health of the bee colonies, which has recently declined to alarming rates. This largely unexplained deterioration of honeybee colonies has been termed ‘colony collapse disorder’ (CCD) and it is affecting beehives throughout the world. A number of manmade and environmental factors are thought to be contributing to the collapse of this highly evolved species on which we all depend. A key part in ensuring a sustainable beekeeping in the future depends on a public appreciation of bees, and an understanding of the role they play in our lives. The b-Shack is a highly innovative beehive observation and educational centre. It is designed, fabricated and assembled by graduate students at the Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation (FARMM) within the School of Architecture at McGill University. The b-Shack project is conceived to provide infrastructural support to urban beekeeping communities such as the McGill Apiary Association and Montreal’s non-profit Santropol Roulant. The small shack structure will enable these volunteer-driven initiatives of educators and amateur beekeepers to share their knowledge and interest in bees with the public. At the same time, the shack will facilitate bio-resource engineering research initiatives focused on CCD. In addition, the design and construction of the project provides a compelling provocation for emerging students across disciplines to respond responsibly to this plight of the bees.
FARMMHouse B-Shack 2012-2013 Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation August 2 01 3 | Mc G i l l U n i ve rsi t y
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Farm Complex Cattle Complex
THE B-SHACK is the first of the FARMMhouse series of projects developed as a research through creation initiative, ‘Modelling the Methodologies of Our Time’ (MMOT), which is being undertaken at our Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation (FARMM) and is funded in part by the Canadian Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC). The b-Shack will find its home on the farm of McGill’s Macdonald Campus, in the vicinity of McGill Apiary Association’s beehives (MAA). The shack will primarily serve as a gathering and teaching space and it will include a seating area for approximately 12 people and a small stage for presentations and demonstrations. The space beneath the seating area provides additional storage for tools and small equipment. An important feature is that the shack is designed to accommodate three small observation hives.
Beaconsfield Morgan Arboretum
McGill Downtown Campus
Beaconsfield
August 2 01 3 | Mc G i l l U n i ve rsi t y
McGill MacDonald Campus
Montreal
McGill MacDonald Campus
FARMMHouse B-Shack 2012-2013 Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation
McGill MacDonald Campus
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b b’ Circle outlines
a a’
Main curvature of the egg
Hexagon pattern
a a’
Program requirements
Extrusion normal to the curvature
Final siluette
b b’
Section a
Section b
Section a’
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Section b’
BORROWING from the intuitively constructed architecture of bees, the shack is conceived as an ellipsoidal shell made out of hexagonal cells that fulfil multiple functions. Some are equipped with solar panels that provide for minimal electrical needs. Others can be filled-in with planters offering species of aromatic flowers that feed the honeybees, or that might nicely complement the crop-specific diet of the colony. Some of the cells are left empty, so that the shack offers a breathable, semi-permeable shelter that creates playful shadows and enhances the natural lighting conditions inside.
25 seats storage
The structure of the b-Shack is conceived as an irregular hexagonal grid-shell, which requires the use of optimisation algorithms to reduce the number of different member sizes and joint connecting angles.
hives
FARMMHouse B-Shack 2012-2013 Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation August 2 01 3 | Mc G i l l U n i ve rsi t y
programm atic plan 5
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N-E elevation
THE STRATEGY for this optimisation is carried out across multiple steps. First a script in Grasshopper for Rhinoceros generates an initial hexagonal grid arrayed on a given surface. This grid is then regularized using the plugin EvoluteTools Lite for Rhinoceros. The grid-shell is then analysed in Oasys GSA using the MS Exchange plugin Salamander for Grasshopper. The structural model is built in Salamander using geometry previously defined in Grasshopper and/or Rhinoceros and subsequently exported to Oasys GSA for analysis. Results are then returned to Grasshopper and fed into the fitness function triggering the evolutionary solver Galapagos; in particular, beam stresses and material quantity.
FARMMHouse B-Shack 2012-2013 Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation August 2 01 3 | Mc G i l l U n i ve rsi t y
S-W elevation
N-W elevation
S-E elevation
b b’
25 seats
a a’
storage
hives 7
bb’
a a’
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THE FITNESS FUNCTION is defined as the difference between the maximum stress in the member and the material strength (in bending, compression and tension), plus the difference between the total weight of the structure and a specified maximum tonnage. The first part of the equation serves to ‘homogenize’ stresses among members, ensuring
FARMMHouse B-Shack 2012-2013 Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation August 2 01 3 | Mc G i l l U n i ve rsi t y
they are all fully utilized. The second part of the equation reduces the thickness of the members (among a given list of available thicknesses) to reduce the total tonnage and again maximize material utilization ratios. The fittest configuration is therefore found when the fitness function is as close as possible to zero. The use of Salamander for Oasys GSA and Grasshopper permitted the rapid
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implementation of changes with results being populated in real time. It exploited the traditional use of structural analysis tools –mostly used to ‘retrofit’, as the analysis is performed after most design decisions have been taken- to inform the program continuously as the design was being developed.
From the derived grid-shell assembly optimized across the Grasshopper script, Oasys GSA, Salamander, and Galapagos, a cell wall construction is
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extruded. Each cell is fabricated out of panels made from generic dimensioned lumber, precisely profiled to the correct pattern using a CNC mill.
FINGER JOINTS and predrilled boltheads are CNC milled for each of the panels forming the cell in order to achieve a seamless connection. Custom-made stoppers prevent the lumber planks from moving while the CNC machine is at work. In addition the different cutting, milling and scoring functions are sequenced to guarantee and overall fabrication tolerance as low as
FARMMHouse B-Shack 2012-2013 Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation August 2 01 3 | Mc G i l l U n i ve rsi t y
2mm. The CNC machine also engraves the name and number of each cell member during the cutting process to ensure they are easy to identify, classify and assemble. Adopting a naming convention that reflects the intended construction sequence facilitates the rapid assembly of the shell members despite its complexity. This also eliminates the need to refer back to
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drawings or models while on site. Finally, planters and hives are fabricated using 3D printing by extrusion of PLA. This facilitated their fabrication and made possible having custom made planters and hives, which accurately fitted the varying wall angles and lengths of the hexagonal cells across the shell.
THE STRUCTURE of the b-shack is conceived and constructed in wood. It consists of hexagonal cells which are in turn an assembly of four lumber members each. The widths of the wood members range from 89mm to 152mm with wider members being used for
the cells closest to the ground and progressively diminishing for the higher cells. This distribution is a result of the optimisation loop described above which aims at fully utilising the capacity of the members used. The lap joints are CNC machined to ensure an accurate flush finish, while the fasteners used to interconnect the cells are galvanised steel bolts. The connection between the
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pavilion ‘hive’ and the deck is achieved through seven galvanised steel plates that are bent to shape and bolted to both outer skin and base. The planters are to be made of PLA (polylactic acid or polylactide) and clamped onto the cells without the need of either drilling or bolting. The feral and top-bar observation hives are also to be set on custom designed units made of PLA.
THE MULTIPLE functional capacities of the cellular construction are aimed at nourishing a self-sustaining ecosystem and at enabling positive action through a richer understanding of honeybees and their health. An important feature is that the shack is designed to accommodate three small observation hives. The three hives will be essential to the shack’s didactic function, as they will allow bee enthusiasts to observe inside the hive without disturbing the colony. The three hives will each house one of the three types of colonies: Langstroth, top-bar, and feral. Of particular interest to architectural students is the relationship between the human made architecture of the hives and the emergent formal logic of the architecture that the bees construct within each.
FARMMHouse B-Shack 2012-2013 Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation August 2 01 3 | Mc G i l l U n i ve rsi t y
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The feral hive (Fig.1) is essentially a wild hive that bees form when left to swarm, often inside hollowed tree trunks. One cannot extract honey from this hive without the risk of killing the colony. The top-bar hive (Fig.2) is a hybrid between the two. In this type of hive, the colony is provided with an initial structure of simple bars, from which
Fig. 1
Santropol Roulant
Fig. 2
UQAM
Fairmont Hotel
Fig. 3
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the bees build their cells downwards, resulting in catenary formations. Although this type of hive generates lower honey yields, some regard it as a less intrusive form of domestication. The Langstroth hive (Fig.3) refers to the rectangular box frames commonly used for the ease of honey extraction.
C o n t e m P L AY P
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AWA R D S
Young Architects and Engineers Award from the *Excellence Award for Hot-Dip Galvanized (HDG) Steel from the *
INSTITUT CANADIEN DE LA CONSTRUCTION EN ACIER
AMERICAN GALVANIZERS ASSOCIATION
P U B L I C AT I O N S
World Architecture News http://www.worldarchitecturenews.com/index. php?fuseaction=wanappln.projectview&upload_id=20684
http://futuresplus.net/2012/06/29/contemplay-pavilion-mcgill-schoolof-architecture-2/
http://www.archdaily.com/258929/the-contemplay-pavilion-drsfarmm/
http://www.architravel.com/architravel/papernews/contemplay-pavilion-completes
http://www.evolo.us/architecture/contemplay-pavilion-mcgill-schoolof-architecture/
http://www.talkitect.com/2011/07/contemplay-pavilion-by-mcgill.html
Arch Daily Evolo
Bdonline
http://www.bdonline.co.uk/news/canadian-students-showcase-contemplay-pavilion/5017212.article
McGill Publications
http://publications.mcgill.ca/engineering-ebulletins/2012/02/16/acontemplay-tive-design/
Architizer
http://www.architizer.com/en_us/projects/view/contemplay-a-m2mcgill-school-of-architecture-drs-directed-research-studio-m_archproject/19855/
Inhabitat
http://inhabitat.com/twisted-contemplay-pavilion-is-a-complex-pieceof-street-furniture-made-with-local-materials-in-montreal/
Archinect
http://archinect.com/lian/contemplay-adventures-in-full-scale-digitalfabrication-interview-with-sophie-wilkin-from-mcgill
FARMMHouse B-Shack 2012-2013 Facility for Architectural Research in Media and Mediation August 2 01 3 | Mc G i l l U n i ve rsi t y
Futures Plus Architravel Talkitect
McGill Reporter
http://publications.mcgill.ca/reporter/2012/05/what-the-heck-is-thatthing/
ARCH2O
http://www.arch2o.com/contemplay-pavilion-drs-farmm/arch2o-contemplay-3/#.UH8pfVF15cp
IGNDES
http://www.igndes.com/videos/vimeo/contemplay-pavilion/44496769
Tectonicas Digitales
http://www.tectonicasdigitales.com/?p=315
Tree Hugger
http://www.treehugger.com/green-architecture/mcgill-universitycontemplay-pavilion.html
Design Spotter
http://www.designspotter.com/product/2011/04/ContemPLAY-Pavilion-McGill-University.html
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C O N T E M P L AY P A V I L I O N
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Team Leads Jason Crow (project director) - FARMM, McGill University PhD Candidate, MArch II, MArch, Hon B.A. Arch
Maria Mingallon (project director) - McGill University, Arup Engineering, MSc, MEng Civil, CEng MICE
Students | Masters | PhD | Architecture | Engineering Marlene Bambonye | BArch | BEng Emily Baxter | BArch | MArch
Kyle Burrows | BArch | MArch Chloe Blain | BArch | MArch
Alexandre Hamel | BArch | MArch Naomi Hebert | BArch | MArch
Brighita Lungu | BArch | MArch CMT | PhD Arch Anca Matyiku | BArch | MArch | PhD Arch
Lance Moore | AA Arch | BD Design | MArch Brian Muthaliff | BArch | MArch
Maria Anguelova Nikolova | BArch | MArch Farid Rener | BEng | MArch HToA Li-Anne Sayegh | BEng
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other links:
http://farmmhouse.farmmresearch.com/bshack/index.html http://www.farmmresearch.com/
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©
FARMM 2012-2013