Recycled Fa(B)rick

Recycled FaBric(k) is a project done as a part of the Digital Tectonics Studio, Masters in Advanced Architecture (MAA) 2010-11 program organized by the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya,Barcelona (IaaC).

The members of the project include: Amay Gurkar (India) Harshad Sutar (India) Saiqa Iqbal (Bangladesh) Vittal Sridharan (India) This project is done under the guidance of Studio Co-ordinators : Marta Male-Alemany, Victor Vina, Brian Peters

Š 2011 Recycled FaBric(k) Amay Gurkar, Harshad Sutar, Saiqa Iqbal, Vittal Sridharan.

IaaC, Barcelona i.

Recycled FaBric(k) is deeply indebted to its Studio Co-ordinators - Marta Male-Alemany, Victor Vina & Brian Peters whose help, stimulating suggestions and encouragement helped in all the time of research and development of the project.

Recycled FaBric(k) has reached this present stage of refinement due to the constant support and criticisms of all the members – studio coordinators & fellow batch mates, of the Digital Tectonics Studio 2010-11.

acknowledgements

Recycled FaBric(k) would also like to thank the contributions of Thiago Mundim & Santiago Martin for their timely workshops in Processing and Grasshopper respectively, which helped us in visualising our project.

Recycled FaBric(k) would like to express its gratitude to IaaC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya),Barcelona to give an opportunity to experiment on this project and also to provide with all the Fabrication Tools(FabLab) and References without which the timely completion of the project would have been difficult.

Finally we would like to thank all the batchmates of MAA (Masters in Advanced Architecture) 2010-11 for sharing all the wonderful moments through the thick and thin times of this project.

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studio agenda

The Digital Tectonics Research Studio 2010-11 will investigate the work flow between computational design and material production methods, exploring the relationship between design inputs and computer programmable devices that can be used for the production of building structures and/or components. Challenging the traditional norms of linear file-to-factory production processes, the studio will examine scenarios in which parametric design and material production are developed simultaneously, exploring the potentials of linking design programming and machinic behaviour in real time.

With support tutorials and exercises focusing on the creation of custom designed innovative hardware devices that incorporate sensory inputs and stepper motor control, the studio aims to propose alternatives to existing methods of digital fabrication to be deployed on-site. As these fabrication devices will enable a direct response to sensory inputs, systems of behavioral rules can be considered to influence the method of creating building elements or structures. Rather than scripting geometrical patterns of formation as in traditional uses of digital fabrication, behavioral rule systems can be used to direct machinic fabrication towards certain performance criteria scenarios, thus generating emergent material configurations that are not guided from a pre-conceived design. Using a setup consisting of design scripts, machine programming, a custom designed fabrication device and specific method of material formation, students teams will choreograph the creation of material structures that demonstrate that their formation has been influenced by external inputs like sound, light, temperature etc.

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studio agenda

In particular, this year the work will focus on how locality allows for hyper-specific outcomes, as the variables of the specific context (temperature, solar exposure, prevailing winds, etc.) are simultaneously embedded and recorded in the material result. Considering that the production process is dependent on external factors on site, recorded data will be physically translated and materialized in outcomes that contain both programmed design intentions and information from the environment. As such, material formations will be emergent and ‘harvested’ from the context. Moreover, the studio will emphasize the global preoccupation with dwindling energy resources by thinking about alternative production methods, such us the ones used prior to the industrial revolution (whether human or animal power, water or wind power).

By raising awareness on this topic when it comes to new fabrication technologies, students will be encouraged to develop off-grid solutions, drawing inspiration from minimal-energy concepts like ‘perpetual motion machines’, which describe hy-pothetical apparatuses that operate or produce useful work indefinitely, or, more generally, machines that produce more work or energy than they consume. The projects will explore how today, through the application of digital technologies, we have the tools to engage with the environment for production, in a much more sustainable approach. Media & Methods: Hardware and all the processes of development will be as important as the demonstration of a working fabrication system, teams will be asked to present their entire process through photography, videos and diagrams explaining the working of scripts, hardware etc.

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contents 01

project introduction

present scenario xxx --------------------------------------------brick recycling xxx --------------------------------------------brick manufacture xxx --------------------------------------------thesis statement xxx ---------------------------------------------

v.

02

03

case studies

broken bricks

smart scrap xxx --------------------------------------------digital growth xxx --------------------------------------------MOStack xxx --------------------------------------------machu picchu xxx --------------------------------------------eladio dieste xxx --------------------------------------------solano benitez xxx --------------------------------------------gramazio & kohler xxx ---------------------------------------------

experiments xxx ---------------------------------------------

contents 04

05

06

project process

design evolution studies

machine

project components and technologies xxx --------------------------------------------project cost xxx --------------------------------------------project workflow xxx --------------------------------------------3D scanning xxx --------------------------------------------fiduciary markers tagging xxx --------------------------------------------design - digital control xxx --------------------------------------------fiduciary markers design evaluation xxx ---------------------------------------------

evolution rules xxx --------------------------------------------evolution experiments xxx ---------------------------------------------

machine details xxx --------------------------------------------machine assembly xxx --------------------------------------------machine packaging xxx ---------------------------------------------

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08

site

multi-materiality

site introduction xxx --------------------------------------------site proposals xxx ---------------------------------------------

multi material bricks xxx ---------------------------------------------

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01 01.

project introduction

‘Brick is a material with unlimited possibilities, almost completely ignored by modern technology.’ -Eladio Dieste, 1996

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present scenario

The influx of population in cities is increasing multifolds and this has lead to an ever increasing demand for housing and work places.

Lack of land has lead to the growth of habitats in a vertical direction.

In most cases the new highrise constructions are built over the demolition of old structures.This scenario is prevelant all over the world and this has lead to a major increase in the construction and demolition (C & D) debris.

Transportation of these huge amounts of C&D debris

and sourcing plots for waste landfill have become a daunting task for most cities.Along with the huge lands consumed by these urban wastes, a huge amount of fuel and resources is utilized towards the disposal of these waste.Many sustainable methods of recycling are being formulated to reduce the amount of waste landfill.

illustrations : left - image portraying the increase of highrises in cities ; below - a flowchart showing the reason for increase in land pollution and need for recycling

cities & employment opportunities

“Construction generates 3 tonnes of waste for every person in a country and produces 24% of all waste arising - 13 million tonnes are unused building products.�

migration from villages & population increase

recycling the materials sustainable solution

lack of dwelling spaces

increase in urban landfill & pollution

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proposals for new development

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old lowrise buildings - targets for redevelopment huge construction & demolition(C&D) debris

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brick recycling

Brick recycling from construction/demolition sites is a tedious procedure,yet important based on the increasing amount of landfill

rendering umpteen plots polluted.This form of land pollution has lead to an awareness and contriving new methods of recycling and reusing them.

Presently, the few conventional methods of recycling the brick include heavy amounts of energy (physical & resources),thus not leading to a sustainable solution.

One of the process includes crushing of the bricks into various sizes for reuse. Special machinery like jaw crushers convert them into either finely ground brick or brick aggregates.These finely ground brick are used as binding mixtures in various infrastructure projects,tennis sand,fillers for various purposes etc. The brick aggregates are used for road constructions,etc.

A novelty in the reuse of old bricks that has recently emerged is the reuse of the retrieved full bricks towards constructing new structures. This is due to the rustic and aged appeal of the recycled bricks .

This process includes a careful cleaning of such bricks with a muriatic acid solution mixed with water to remove the mortar and reinstate the original shape of the brick.

brick recycling

sorting bricks from other materials

transporting bricks to a recycling site

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structurally strong bricks

1a

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clean-off mortar & dust

crushing machine

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resorting full bricks from broken bricks

coarsely ground bricks

structural stability test

reused as aggregates for road construction

1b reused as antique bricks in construction

illustrations : right - images portraying various stages of demolition ; below - a flowchart showing the different methods of recycling brick presently

structurally unstable bricks

reused as pavements/ landscape elements

finely ground brick

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reused as binding mixtures/tennis sand/fillers

brick manufacturing 1

Workers use huge machines to dig clay from the quarry. The workers put the clay in trucks. Trucks take the clay to a factory to be made into bricks.

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Workers at the factory let the clay sit until it is dry. Then machines crush the clay into very tiny pieces. Workers add water to the crushed clay to make it as thick as stiff mud.

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3

4

The clay is squeezed through a mold. A mold is a part of a machine. The mold shapes the clay into a long, thick ribbon.

Wires cut the clay ribbon into bricks. The bricks are stacked in big piles.

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Next the carts pass through a big kiln. A kiln is a very hot oven.The kiln bakes the bricks to make them even stronger.

The bricks are still wet. They must be dried to make them hard and strong. Workers set the bricks on carts. The carts are put into warm ovens to dry the bricks.

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8

The bricks leave the kiln and cool down. Workers sort the bricks. Bricks that are broken or twisted are thrown away.

Workers put the bricks in stacks.The stacks are loaded onto trucks. The trucks take the bricks to builders.

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thesis statement

Recycled FaBric(k) is a project targeting recently demolished sites or disaster hit areas and re-instating the site-found broken bricks as potent design components. The project utilizes the atypical geometry of broken bricks towards researching on possible emergent forms. The resultant is an emergent outcome of user-controlled design inputs & inherent properties of the bricks. The project establishes a site based active design system with a real-time interaction between the design and execution alternate to the conventional office-site interaction making the design process versatile and holistic.

Recycled FaBric(k) collaborates with various autonomous technologies to analyse the design possibilities with these geometries. The broken bricks are reproduced into a digital platform, given an identification tag, analysed of all its properties, sorted and the design outcome is evaluated. The project further creates an interaction platform wherein the tags cross-check the positioning of the sorted bricks in accordance with the design. This opens up an opportunity for the designer to not only verify the execution process in real-time but also to re-evaluate the design in case of a change. This re-evaluated design is communicated via a wireless device thus continuing the active interaction between the execution team and designer all throughout the construction process. The project is conceived as a portable design system which can be executed at any site immediately

Recycled FaBric(k) can easily calculate the energy , manpower requirements as well as resource management thus forming a sustainable and efficient design system.

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02

case studies

beauty of Brick structures is that it characteristically highlights its materials as key building components because they form a series of clearly visible pieces that belong to the bigger jigsaw of the architecture.�

“The

- Lorraine Farrelly (Construction + Material)

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project case studies relevance to project : methods to measure complex geometries and transfer it onto a digital space

The Smart Scrap Student Team: Ben Greenberg, Greg Hittler, Kyle Perry Digital technologies have improved the flow of digital information from designer to fabricator, this system, entitled ‘SmartScrap’, is unique because it improves the flow of information from the fabrication process back to initial design decision-making. Completion this digital information ‘feedback loop’ will seamlessly inform design and fabrication decision making based on available sizes, shapes, and quantities of leftover/waste stone inventories.

illustrations : right top extreme - locating the site with stones; right top - measuring the stones; right centre - sorted stones;right bottom - data recording from the measurement; bottom technology comparison

The Institute for Digital Fabrication at Ball State University is testing ecological design strategies for the building industry following generous awards from the Graham Foundation for the Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts and the Discovery foundation. The research uses a digital database of component pieces from available scrap material, digitally catalogs waste products from the building industry specifically the Indiana Limestone industry and develops computational means to apply the cataloged information to parametric design models. Taking scanning technology mostly reserved for the auto and industrial design industries and deploying a portable system outdoors allows the recording of heavy stone scrap objects into a digital coordinate space. The idea of the project embraces irregularity rather than the regularity that is traditionally used in most refined stone design work. Since each recorded stone in unique in size the two dimensional composition of pieces form an overall irregularity organized wall. The constant and measurable depth of each scrap piece allows for a recognizable three dimensional organization to emerge.

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project case studies relevance to project : physical - digital interaction for analysis of geometry

Digital Growth Team names: Fabrizio Cazzulo (Italy), Alexandros Kallegias (Greece), Igor Pantic (Serbia), SeoYun Jang (South Korea) Tutors: Marta MalĂŠ-Alemany / Jeroen van Ameijde Our aim is to develop a responsive designsystem that will allow an instantaneous on-site design and fabrication process. This will be done through the use of real-time evaluation of the structures being built by a machinic system in collaboration with humans. In contrast to a linear design and fabrication sequence, we are proposing a system that is based on a constant loop between the scanning and evaluation of what has already been built and the generation of a series of future steps, also taking into account site conditions and performance-based criteria. A robotic arm is used as a primary machinic device, while the material system is composed of aggregated components that enable incremental growth of the structure and intervention into the process of formation.

The machinic fabrication system is no longer following predetermined design patterns, but has an intelligence of its own and is capable of evaluating situations and making decisions that deal with its’ surroundings. These decisions are following constraints based on the grammar developed by the architect.

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illustrations : top extreme - simulation of possible growth; middle left - robotic arm choosing the aggregate from the stack; middle right - final growth assembled by the robot; bottom - birds eye view of the assembled geometry

project case studies relevance to project : simulation of broken bricks for stable outcomes

MOSstack - On the verge of collapse MOSstack developed by : M.Meredith, H.Sample, A.Bigham, J.Bond, L.Dennis, G.Frazen, K.Lisi, W.Macfarlane, M.McDaniel, J.Prater, M.Staudt.

MOSstack, block stacking software developed using Processing http://processing.org/ The MOSstack software is (as the name suggests) for stacking blocks within an environment of forces, gravity. The process is essentially like growing a tree in reverse. The stacking occurs with a specified random range of overhang between each successive unit. As each unit is stacked it is simultaneously calculating its own self-weight and balance in real-time producing strange structural forms.

This software was implemented in a collaborative exhibition with the artist Tobias Putrih for the Baltic in NewCastle England that was titled “Overhang” illustrations : left - image from the exhibition «overhang»; left bottom - the software analysing the stability of the stacks; bottom :models testing the stability of the units to cross check the simulation.

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project case studies relevance to project : study of historical example on dry wall construction techniques

Architecture of Machu Picchu The central buildings of Machu Picchu use the classical Inca architectural style of polished dry-stone walls of regular shape. The Incas were masters of this technique, called ashlar, in which blocks of stone are cut to fit together tightly without mortar. Many junctions in the central city are so perfect that it is said not even a blade of grass fits between the stones.

The stones of the dry-stone walls built by the Incas can move slightly and resettle without the walls collapsing.

illustrations : right top - some dry wall houses built with stones; bottom extreme right - aerial view of a settlement in machu picchu; bottom right - terraces / retaining walls with dry wall construction technique; bottom some details of the construction technique developed by the incas

Inca walls had numerous design details that helped protect them against collapsing in an earthquake. Doors and windows are trapezoidal and tilt inward from bottom to top; corners usually are rounded; inside corners often incline slightly into the rooms; and “L”-shaped blocks often were used to tie outside corners of the structure together. These walls do not rise straight from bottom to top, but are offset slightly from row to row.

The homes were shaped like a pentagonal prism. The strange thing about the building in Machu Picchu is they were built without roofs. Some of the buildings were built in a rectangular prism shapes. The doors of most of the buildings were trapezoid shaped. The only buildings with roofs were the homes that were on the outside of Machu Picchu, they were very small huts, and the Sapa Inca’s temples.

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project case studies relevance to project : contributors towards innovations in brick construction techniques to create complex structures

Works of Eladio Dieste Educated as an engineer, Eladio Dieste (1917-2000), produced between 1945 and 1975 a whole set of outstanding architectural works that enhanced a simple traditional material like brick or masonry conferring at the same time upon it both the ductility and mechanical capacity of reinforced concrete by virtue of a hybrid technique that we will call for now “reinforced ceramic construction”.

His buildings, the majority of which are silos, warehouses or industrial plants, are awesome not only in scale but in the spectacular structure of their roofs, spanning 40-50 metres or more.But there are other elements of his work, more emotional perhaps, which imbue his buildings with a logical,restful quality.His work is an outcome of an intimate knowledge of materials and his please in working with them.

The procedures for structural analysis devised by Dieste in order to realize his “ceramic shells” are not very different from those simplified methods usually employed, under the general denomination of the Lundgren method, for the calculation of cylindrical concrete shells.

Each of Eladio Dieste’s works represents a process of search and discovery.Everything, including materials,forms,spaces,techniques possible in a depressed economy, buildingtraditions ,available labour, is subject to that continual investigative process which has resulted in an exquisite formal sensitivity, a profound technical and constructive rationality and a realistic attitude to local economic and production possibilities.

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illustrations : right top - atlantida church; right bottom - port ware house exterior ; right bottom extreme - centro commerciale - montevideo; bottom right - port warehouse interior; bottom centre - opening at church of st.peter; bottom left - tower ar atlantida church

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project case studies relevance to project : contributors towards innovations in brick construction techniques to develop complex structures

Works of Solano Benitez Solano Benitez graduated in Architecture at the Faculty of Architecture, National University of Asunción in 1986, he has taught at the university until 2004, visiting the University Andres Bello in Chile, and has lectured in different parts of the world .In 1987 with Alberto Marinoni founded the firm of architects.At 44 years is considered a benchmark for renewal in the Latin American architecture for its particular way of thinking and the profession.

From his early work Solano has been able to extract the very nature of things, “what a thing wants to be , “as Louis Kahn as he explained the importance of” realized. “Thus, more than 30 years ago, Benitez took a brick and was able to ask what the brick would be beyond a veneer or a filling.The interesting thing is that the choice of brick had nothing to do with the qualitative properties of the material, simply chose a practical subject.”We take the brick that is very inexpensive and produce large quantities in Paraguay,” says Solano.

illustrations : extreme left top - emerald house ; left extreme top - interiors of estancia la; left centre - telethon extension building ; left bottom - unilever headquarters; bottom left retired bank building ; bottom centre - fauna; bottom right - casa abu & font

When it comes to appreciation for materials,Solano refers to the opportunity of attending workshops with Eladio Dieste.The point that distinguishes him from Dieste is his approach towards bricks.He strives to work with the inertia and brick in a structural way instead of the maximum compression capacity as practised by Dieste.The similarity between the both includes the eye to see when there is tension,compression,twisting ,cutting etc this not only under standing the space that it encloses but also how the forces behave and finally reach the ground.

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project case studies relevance to project : digital and robotic systems involved to have a high precision building process

The Programmed Wall University: ETH Zurich, 2006 Collaborators: Tobias Bonwetsch (project leader), Daniel Kobel, Michael Lyrenmann Students: Matthias Buehler, Michael KnauĂ&#x;, Kocan Leonard, Gonçalo Manteigas, Silvan Oesterle, Dominik Sigg If the basic manufacturing conditions of architecture shift from manual work to digital fabrication, what design potential is there for one of the oldest and most widespread architectural elements -- the brick? Students investigated this question in a four-week workshop, designing brick walls to be fabricated by an industrial robot. Unlike a mason, the robot has the ability to position each individual brick in a different way without optical reference or measurement, i.e. without extra effort. To exploit this potential, the students developed algorithmic design tools that informed the bricks of their spatial disposition according to procedural logics. Positioning this way it was possible to draft a brick wall in which each of over 400 bricks took up a specific position and rotation in space. The students defined not the geometry of the wall, but the constructive logic according to which the material was organised in a particular temporal order, and which thus produced an architectonic form.

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illustrations : right top - close up of the programmed wall; right bottom - robotic arm holding the brick; right bottom extreme - robotic arm executing the wall as per the digital file;bottom - three samples of the programmed wall

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03

broken bricks - possibilities

broken bricks

Broken bricks have a characteristic shape, which if analysed and simplified, could

be used to generate emergent design forms.This process is the purest example in the lines of

“Digital Materiality�.

These bricks

found abandoned / discarded for their irregular shape can actually be pzotentiated as a new strong design language in architectural terms.

illustrations : right - diagram of the set of expreriments executed by the team to study the possibilities with broken brick

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broken bricks - experiments broken bricks reinstating original form

multi materiality powdered glass/ paper pulp/ saw dust /wood chips

utilizing the inherent form emergent design possibilities analysis of geometry manual

digital

human logic alone

human logic & digital intelligence

low precision

high precision

time consuming

quick analysis

limited design evolution

various options can be simulated

no selection process

selection process from simulations

final design

final design

mould broken brick is placed inside the mould fresh material added to the mould to reinstate the broken brick to its original shape curing of the brick final design

re-evaluation during execution rectification/ design update .28

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04

project process

broken bricks scanning tagging design analysis

recycled site specific cleaned off m ortar

kinect physical data to digital information pointcloud image generation endpoints of point cloud to generate geometry

fiducial marker reactivision software object identification

extracting geometric properties sorting bricks in a certain order comparing geometries for similarity designers input + geometric properties of brick design evolution based on structural stability

Technologies used in the project: 1.Kinect 2.Fiducial markers 3.Webcams 4.MobilePhones 5.Laptops

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realtime evaluation design update/ rectification final outcome

the evaluation provides a realtime update of the execution process helps in real time rectfication thus leading to a controlled assembly any major change during execution is directly taken as a new start point to update design and reconfigure the further design sequence

most stable design outcome accomodating the minor deviations on site & design update/rectification based on discrepencies during execution

design data communication for execution

webcams tracking the X,Y& Zposition of the brick transfers these co-ordinates to the designer design accomodation based on any major deviations in final site condition helps in resource management

wireless data transfer execution procedure brick selection details assembly procedure

project components & technologies Softwares used in the project: 1.Processing 2.Rhino/Grasshopper 3.Reactivision

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Component Costs: Base Construction Material : Site found broken / intact bricks

Scanning: Kinect 1 Unit

134 euros

Tagging: Label Printer 1 Unit

134 euros

Analysis: Laptops 2 Units

Evaluation: Webcams 2 Units

Wireless Communication: CellPhones / Tablets 1 Unit / Person

Workforce: Manpower Wages Skilled / Un-Skilled Minimum 5 person

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free of cost / low cost

2*500 = 1000 euros

2*25 = 50 euros

5*100 = 500 euros

10 - 25 euros / hour

project cost

Energy Consumption: 2 Laptops 1 Kinect 1 Label Printer

- 120 watts - 20 watts - 20 watts

Energy Calculation: watts * hours of usage

* electricity cost per KWH = Cost of Energy per day

1000 200 * 10 hours

* 20 cents

= 40 cents per day

1000

Total Project Cost: Fixed Cost

- 1734 euros (one time investment )

Floating Cost

Transportation Cost

- 750 euros ( 5 workers working 10 hours and paid 15 euros / hour) - 100 euros ( food and other errands) - 50 cents / day ( energy consumption) - nil unless a new site is chosen to execute the project

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Design Execution Manual Execution with Digital Information

Updated Assembly

Evaluation Response

Preliminary Assembly

final output after evaluation

Final Output

Data Identification Fiducial Markers

Sorting

End Response Loop final output after evaluation

Design Execution Evaluation Webcam

Evaluation Response

Design Execution Final Site Examination

Preliminary Examination

Re-evaluated Design Outcome

Data Transfer for Execution Mobile phones & other Wireless Gadgets

Preliminary Design Outcome

Flow - Line Colour Identification process flow direction response flow direction

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final assembly direction

project workflow Design Parameter Broken Bricks Data Imaging Physical to Digital Mode

Scanning

Start

Tagging

Sorting

Response Loop

Data Identification Fiducial Markers

Inherent Design Parameters

Re-evaluated Design Outcome External Design Parameters Preliminary Design Outcome

Design Parameter - Architect’s Inputs

Design Analysis & Simulation Grashopper & Processing

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Motorized Tilt RGB Camera 3d Depth Sensors

3d Depth Sensors

scan - in electronics To move a finely focused beam of light or electrons in a systematic pattern over (a surface) in order to reproduce or sense and subsequently transmit an image.

3D scanning

A 3D scanner is a device that analyses a real-world object or environment to collect data on its shape and possibly its appearance (i.e. color). The collected data can then be used to construct digital, three dimensional models

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-

definition

3D scanning

Device : X-Box Kinect 3D Scanner Kinect is based on software technology developed internally by Rare, a subsidiary of Microsoft Game Studios owned by Microsoft, and on range camera technology by Israeli developer PrimeSense, which interprets 3D scene information from a continuously-projected infrared structured light This 3D scanner system called Light Coding employs a variant of image-

based 3D reconstruction.

Kinect,which was intended for gaming purposes solely, has presently been hacked to connect directly to the computer and used for a myriad autonomous applications.

Kyle McDonald’s ‘point cloud’ app creates a hugely detailed 3D image of the whatever the camera is looking at just by using Kinect’s saturation values and mapping hundreds of points to any visible surface.

Connecting multiple Kinects at the same time can generate a complete 3d Image of an object.

Kinect can easily be controlled with Processing and the data’s could be transferred onto Grasshopper where these point clouds are used to generate the model of the brick .

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Manual Process

Step 1 - Broken Bricks

The broken bricks are collected from the site and are placed on the object holder in the scanning machine.

This process is the starting point of digitally reproducing the brick for further analysis.

Digital Process

Step 2 - Kinect Scanning

Kinect scans the object placed on the object holder. The object is placed in such a manner that one of the vertical edges matches with the centre of Kinect. This creates a point cloud of two faces of the brick.

The Kinect cannot scan objects that are parallel to the infrared rays passing through it. Hence the top and bottom surfaces are later generated.

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Step 3 - Kinect Controller and Data Dispatcher

Processing contains the library for controlling the Kinect. The depth and the range of point cloud generation can be controlled with the help of Processing.

Processing also with the help of UDP library transfers this data onto Grasshopper in real-time.

3D scanning 3D scanning is the first step in converting physical data into a digital model. The project uses Kinect which is one of the most widely used 3D sensor enabled device and allows a point cloud based object reproduction technique. The two advantages of this scanner is its portability and its low cost. Presently the object is rotated to digitally reproduce all the faces and this needs some calibration using two kinects this problem can be easily negated.

Step 4 - Data Receiver and Analyser

Grasshopper receives the point cloud from grasshopper and once the right depth and range is achieved on Processing, Grasshopper bakes these points for further development.

By culling the unwanted internal points grasshopper refines the point cloud keeping only the outer boundaries of the object.

Using these points as guides the surfaces are created and the final object is reproduced onto grasshopper

Design Analysis

Digital Process

Step 5 - Point Cloud generation

Step 6 - Object Generation from Point Cloud

This is an example of how the point cloud is generated in grasshopper and once this refinement is achieved the points are baked for model generation.

Once the unwanted points are culled, they become the reference points for creating surfaces which would together form the final geometry.

Before generating the final model the unwanted points are culled. This not only reduces the complication in model generation but also simplifies the complex bricks thus making it tangible to analyse.

This geometry is further simplified to simple surfaces off which the parameters can be extracted. The size, shape, number of faces, area of faces, volume of the geometries and the centre of gravity of the objects are extracted from this output.

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time taken cost components portability

Creaform Scanner

compatibility with software precision

time taken cost components portability compatibility with software precision

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Makerbot DIY scanner

3D scanning time taken cost components portability compatibility with software

Pizca MDX-15 Milling Machine & 3D Scanner

precision

time taken cost components portability

Z-Corp ZScanner 600

compatibility with software precision

time taken cost components portability

X-Box Kinect

compatibility with software precision

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Fiduciary Markers A fiduciary marker or fiducial is an object used in the field of view of an imaging system which appears in the image produced, for use as a point of reference or a measure. It may be either something placed into or on the imaging subject, or a mark or set of marks in the reticle of an optical instrument.

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- definition

fiduciary markers - tagging Fiduciary Markers - Applications in Augmented Reality In applications of augmented reality or virtual reality, fiducials are manually applied to objects in a scene so that the objects can be recognized in images of the scene.

The appearance of markers in images may act as a reference for image scaling, or may allow the image and physical object, or multiple independent images, to be correlated. By placing fiduciary markers at known locations in a subject, the relative scale in the produced image may be determined by comparison of the locations of the markers in the image and subject.

Augmented Reality Augmented Reality (AR) is a term for a live direct or an indirect view of a physical,real-world environment whose elements are augmented by computer-generated sensory input,such as sound or graphics.

Artificial information on about the environment and its objects can be overlaid on the real world. The term augmented reality is believed to have been coined in 1990 by Thomas Caudell, working at Boeing.

Augmented Reality Applications 1. Marker based/Imagerecognition:

Using a camera these applications recognise a marker or an image in the real world, calculate its position and orientation to augment the reality. In simple words they overlay the marker/Image with some content or information.

2. GPS based recognition:

These applications take advantage of global positioning system [GPS] tools in the phone. The applications use the position of the phone to find landmarks and any other points of interest[POI].

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Manual Process

Step 1 - Broken Bricks

The broken bricks are collected from the site and once they are digitally reproduced using kinect ,they are given an identification code.

Digital Process

Step 2 - Fiduciary Marker Labels

These fiduciary markers are printed using a portable label printer and these markers are stuck onto one of the corners of the brick.

Step 3 - Brick Identification

The corners of the brick define the (0,0,0) position of the brick and the further interaction of the bricks in the physical and digital mediums are done with this as a reference.

Since the bricks (3D objects ) have dimensions in 3 cartesian co-ordinates , their exact positions are analysed by attaching 2 fiducials, thus cross checking their positions in the XY axis as well as XZ axis.

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fiduciary markers-tagging The first stage wherein the fiduciary markers play a role is in the tagging of bricks. This builds-in a unique digital identification for each of the bricks. This identification becomes the reference for interaction between the digitally reproduced / physical bricks during construction.

Step 4 - Marker Reader

Design Execution & Evaluation

Digital Process

Step 5 - Position Data Receiver - Dispatcher

Step 6 - Digital - Physical Brick cross-referencing

Processing receives the data from Reactivision with the help of TUIO library. This library transfers and communicates the data in realtime thus visualising the objects in the digital medium perfectly as the position of the physical objects are disturbed.

Grasshopper is the final visualising software where all the datas culminate and link with the digital replica of the physical objects. Thus by calibrating the position of the objects in both the mediums the positions can be cross checked.

The adjustments in the imaging of the objects can be controlled by the brightness / contrast and saturation of the cameras monitoring the physical object.

reacTIVision Reactivision is an open source software which reads the fiducial marker data and converts into digital data. It also acts as a bridge in transferring this coordinate data onto Processing.

.48

Inherent Design Parameters Broken Bricks

reacTIVision

49.

External Design Parameters Designer’s Input

design - digital control

Digital Control in the project helps in two aspects analysing and simplifying the complex geometry of the broken bricks.

The digitally reproduced models of the bricks are analysed of all its properties during this phase of the project.

The model is analysed of all its basic properties like the centre of gravity, number of faces, shapes , sizes of bricks , etc.

The various design possibilities can be visualised by generating scripts which can apply designer controlled parameters during the design development. This helps in visualising multiple outcomes by changing and combining various parameters.

By extracting these multiple parameters a requisite design with these bricks can be simulated and studied of its

precision, interlocking , mortar / binding material required to assemble them.

Digital Control also helps in analysing the contour of the terrain in which the design is executed and the hence the design can accomodate the site conditions and lead to a more stable outcome.

The flexibility of modifying and simulating the design gives the designer an opportunity to update his final outcome and construct the most preferred outcome.

.50

design - digital control script 1: analysing the geometry of the bricks

the bricks which are digitally reproduced on grasshopper are analysed of their properties The datas that are extracted from these objects are: 1. number of vertices 2. number of faces 3. centre of gravity 4. area of surfaces 5. shape of the faces 6.length of the brick 7.breadth of the bricks 8. height of the bricks To determine the sequence the bricks are analysed and cross referred to find the best surfaces which can be placed adjacent to each other.

51.

design - digital control script 2: stability test when the bricks are subject to offset

brick 1

brick 2

stacking 2 units

brick 3

stacking 3 units

brick 4

stacking 4 units

brick 5

stacking 5 units

brick 6

stacking 6 units

The script simulates a stability test wherein the script analyses the maximum possible offset that the bricks can be subject to based on the number of bricks stacked.

.52

design - digital control script 3: to achieve the best connection between the faces so that they form a bounding box with the least area

test brick 1

test brick 2

test brick 3

Three test bricks for analysing the script

face 3b

e

c fa 3a

e

c fa

2b

face 2a

face 1b

face 1a

The two faces of each of the test bricks are the points where the connections can happen owing to the linear growth required

line of growth required

The script combines the bounding box of each of these brick units and finds out the which out come gives the least area of the bounding box. option 1

Some of the options that show the different alignments and the resultant bounding boxes produced

option 2

option 3

53.

option 4

design - digital control script 4: by extractng all the required datas of the brick we can simulate the stability of the various design outcomes and make design decisions accordingly

Laptop

Webcam

Marker Defining the co-ordinates

Fiduciary Marker

Broken Bricks

55.

fiducial - design evaluation Evaluation Evaluation is systematic determination of merit, worth, and significance of something using criteria against a set of standards.

In architectural terms evaluation is referred to a task which consists of cross-checking the execution based on the construction details / sequence provided by the designer.

- Definition

The project uses two webcams which monitor the execution process and sends the data back to the designer in real-time thus updating the designer.

The interaction between the designer and workers is done through wireless devices like I-Phone or Tablets which update the worker on their progress or the rectification. design update which needs to be implemented.

The webcams also scan the terrain during execution thus providing an opportunity to accomodate the minor modifications required in the design.

Components used : Laptop; Webcams; Wirelss portable data recievers

Softwares required: Grasshopper /Rhino Processing Reactivision

.56

1.The bricks are sorted after they are digitally reproduced , the designers input and the property of bricks define the design outcome.

Design

2.The design outcome is transferred onto a portable device for execution. Tablets / I-Phones could be used for this procedure.

3.With these hand held devices the design is executed.

Owing to the complexity of design, a certain level of precision needs to be maintained for the stability of the structure.

4.To monitor the execution two web cams are installed at the execution site. It firstly analyses the existing site conditions and sends the data to the designer to evaluate the design. Secondly it monitors the execution process with help of fiducials confirming the position of each brick laid.

Execution

Evaluation

5.Fiducials sync the position of the brick on the digital and physical mediums and updates the position of the bricks as the bricks are laid.This helps in cross checking the exact position of the bricks executed at site.

6.The data of the fiducials is sent to Reactivision which processes the data and sends the data to Processing 7. Processing acts as a bridge between Reactivision and Grasshopper.

Evaluation Response

8.The data is received on grasshopper where the digital bricks models respond to the real time changes during execution. Grasshopper contains the designed model and the brick positions are cross checked with this design model to confirm the correctness at execution.

If there are any changes during the execution this real time evaluation process immediately signals the workers to rectify the error. Another instance of this real time interaction helps in updating the design accommodating the discrepancies at site or minor change in the materials.

57.

Design Update

fiducial - design evaluation 1

8

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6

reacTIVision

4

5

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05

design evolution studies

61.

Match Geometry

Maximum Surface

Parallel Surface

match geometry + orientation

match geometry

max. surface area + orientation + joined surface

max. surface area + orientation

max. surface area

parallel maximum surface as base

2 horizontal parallel maximum surface

find the joined surface and then overlap

multi directional + uncontrolled growth + more stable + connected towers

vertical + horizontal progression

+ stable joins + new geometry

match the geometry of the surfaces + to be attached between two bricks uncontrolled growth from all sides of the former brick

one directional

+ stable joins + smoother surface

match the geometry of the surfaces controlled growth to be attached between two bricks

one directional +

multi directional + uncontrolled growth + more stable

multi directional + uncontrolled growth

one directional + controlled growth

horizontal progression

place the new bricks based on their max. parallel surface attached to the max. surface of the former brick

place the bricks based on their max. parallel surface on top of each other maintaining one s t r a i g h t f a c e .

sort the bricks based on their geometry

evolution rules

.62

Span

Corner

Wall

match geometry + orientation + joined surface + max. surface area + maintain a range

brick length + weight + 1/4 overhang + counter balance

match geometry + orientation + joined surface + max. surface area + 2 directional progression + overlapped corner

match geometry + orientation + joined surface + max. surface area + maintain a range

match geometry + orientation + joined surface + max. surface area + follow a line

_place2 bricks at a distance maintaining 90. _start spanning t o wa rd a m i d point in between

_place2 bricks at a distance maintaining 90. _start spanning t o wa rd a m i d point in between

_start by placing regular bricks forming 90 deg corner _overlap joins at upper layers

_maintain the range _ overlapped joins give more stability

_maintain the line _ overlapped joins give more stability

limited span + achieve height + repetition + stable

limited height + limited span

two directional + controlled growth + non-parallel edge + more stable + initiates space

one directional + controlled growth + non-parallel edge + more stable

one directional + controlled growth + non-parallel edge

evolution 1 Total Number of Broken Bricks = 120 Number of Broken Bricks optimized = 88 Number of Broken Bricks unused = 32

Elements: 1 non-parallel side / surfaced bricks.

Attributes: Angle of non-parallel surface.

Orientation of parallel v/s non-parallel surfaces.

Multiple components.

Relationships: Creating components alligning the angled surface to create a vertical wave pattern. These components with slight modifications are explored letting in light from the specified angles of openings and produce a stack effect for better ventillation.

Computational Control: 1) The angle of the Broken Surface Plane (X), determines the position and the orientation throughout the generative form.

2) The Position of other half / full bricks (A), define the start and bricks of the derived geometric curve.

3) Repetition of components to create openings / penetrations in walls, multiplying components vertically and horizontally sometimes with offsets to expand possible variations within the openings.

63.

Multiple solutions / options for the same component.

evolution 1

1) The angle of the Broken Surface Plane (X), determines the position and orientation throughout the generative form. In this Script / Code we use the angle to emerge a pattern in the verticle axis.

2) The Position of other half / full bricks (A), in the Z-Axis, controls the orientation of curvature of the wall. Placement of these bricks change profile curve altering the overall pattern of the wall.

65.

Back Elevation

Front Elevation

Plan

.66

evolution 1 Sorting : Sort the broken bricks in ascending order based on their angles produced at the broken edge plane.

Rules : 1 _Start and End with Parallel surfaced bricks.

2 _Place the bricks one over another (vertically) with least to most angle deviations, parallel to the edge of the required plane / wall next to the previously placed bricks.

3 _When the angle X > 150 place parallel surface bricks.

4 _If placed a parallel brick in-between _ Option A _follow the similar curvature as earlier bricks OR_ Option B _variate the curvature and direction of the next set of broken bricks.

View of Variation 02_pattern

Brick Course Layer 06

Brick Course Layer 04

Brick Course Layer 02 67.

Variation pattern generated with offsetting the broken brick component parts horizontally.

evolution 2 Total Number of Broken Bricks = 120 Number of Broken Bricks optimized = 91 Number of Broken Bricks unused = 29

Elements: 1 non-parallel side / surfaced bricks.

Attributes: Angle of non-parallel surface.

Orientation of parallel v/s non-parallel surfaces.

Relationships: Optimizing the non-parallel surfaced bricks. Alligning them to generate a straight plane on one side while the opposite side produces a pattern. Introducing parallel surfaced bricks for stability, changing the course patterns and controlling key points altering the generated pattern.

Computational Control: 1) The angle of the Broken Surface Plane (X), determines the position and the orientation throughout the generative form.

2) The Position of other half / full bricks (A), controls the orientation of curvature of the wall. Placement of these bricks changes profile curve altering the overall pattern of the wall.

69.

Optimizing through digital control leads to an emergence of pattern inherited from the geometries of the scanned broken bricks. The fron t elevation develops a pattern specific to the broken bricks while the back elevation is flat alligned.

evolution 2

1) The angle of the Broken Surface Plane (X), determines the position and orientation throughout the generative form.

2) The Position of other half / full bricks (A), controls the orientation of curvature of the wall. Placement of these bricks change profile curve altering the overall pattern of the wall.

71.

Back Elevation

Front Elevation

Plan

.72

evolution 2 Sorting : Sort the broken bricks in ascending order based on their angles produced at the broken edge plane.

Rules : 1 _Start and End with Parallel surfaced bricks.

2 _Place the bricks with least to most angle deviations, parallel to the edge of the required plane / wall next to the previously placed bricks.

3 _When the angle X > 150 place parallel surface bricks.

4 _If placed a parallel brick in-between _ Option A _follow the similar curvature as earlier bricks OR_ Option B _variate the curvature and direction of the next set of broken bricks.

View of Variation 02_pattern

Variation 03

Variation 02

73.

Variation 01

Detail view of the constructed wall

evolution 3 Total Number of Broken Bricks = 120 Number of Broken Bricks optimized = 108 Number of Broken Bricks unused = 12

Elements: 1 non-parallel side / surfaced bricks.

Attributes: Angle of non-parallel surface.

Orientation of parallel v/s non-parallel surfaces.

Relationships: The advantage of recycling broken bricks is the specific angles at which the bricks are broken. The edges could be alligned one after another to create a smooth curve either emergent or specific for site contours. The same process could be applied to the opposite side.

Computational Control: 1) The angle of the Broken Surface Plane (X), determines the position and the orientation throughout the generative form.

2) The Position of other half / full bricks (A), act as fillers between the two smooth curved edges

75.

Manual Experiment generating an emergent curve form derived by the fixed set of broken bricks. Digital control could optimize the positions of every broken brick for any desired curvature.

evolution 3

The below diagram shows the positions of parallel bricks v/s the broken angled bricks to generate the curve. This process depends souly upon the property of broken bricks, i.e. the angles at which the bricks are broken while the parallel surfaced and full bricks are used as fillers.

The parallel surfaced bricks which emerge due to the increase in the thickness of the wall could be replaced by insulating materials. This allows for better integration of different materials for functional purposes. The elevation on the side page highlights the vertical layers of half / full bricks for better insulation.

77.

Front Elevation

Plan

evolution 3 Sorting : Sort the broken bricks in ascending order based on their angles produced at the broken edge plane.

Sorting could also be carried out on the basis of which part of walls need insulation i.e which parts are thicker.

Rules : 1 _Start and End bricks are defined according to the curvature required OR with parallel surfaced bricks.

2 _Place the bricks from least to most angle deviation according to the previous angle of brick placed such that _ Option A _there is smooth continuous curve carried forward from the previous angle of broken brick Option B _closest possible angle compared to given desired curve.

3 _Use parallel surfaced bricks to change the angle or curvature of the wall.

Diagram 2 79.

Detail view of overlapping curves of the constructed wall

These curves could follow site driven contours of a chosen site or optimize the brick orientation and placement for curves depending on the size of dezired wall for structural strength.

evolution 4 Total Number of Broken Bricks = 120 Number of Broken Bricks optimized = 112 Number of Broken Bricks unused = 08

Elements: 1 non-parallel side / surfaced bricks.

Attributes: Angle of non-parallel surface.

Orientation of non-parallel surfaces

Relationships: Rotating the broken bricks by 90 degrees, evovles a new solution for varied thickness of inclined walls which could be applied for retaining earth. An easy applicationwould be for terracces on contoured sites for growing vegetation.

Computational Control: 1) The angle of the Broken Surface Plane (X), determines the position and the orientation throughout the generative form.

2) The Position of other half / full bricks (A), can act as soldier courses for strengthening the wall.

81.

Manual Experiment generating an emergent curve form derived by the fixed set of broken bricks. Digital control could optimize the positions of every broken brick for any desired curvature.

evolution 4

The above diagram represents the variations in the angles at the broken surface of the bricks.

This angle of the broken surface plane is what makes broken bricks unique to full bricks. The bricks within this script are rotated by 90 degrees to translate the deviations in angles upward.

83.

Back Elevation

Front Elevation

Plan

evolution 4 Sorting : Sort the broken bricks in ascending order based on their angles produced at the broken edge plane.

Rules : 1 _Use Parallel Surfaced Bricks to provide stability / overall strength to the wall section.

2 _Rotate the bricks by 90 degrees to allign the angle surface vertical rather than horizontal.

3 _Place the bricks one over another fwith similar angle deviation such that _ Option A _there is smooth continuous curve carried forward from the previous angle of broken brick Option B _closest possible angle compared to given desired curve.

4 _Place brick from least to most angle deviation next to each other to achieve a broken slanted surface to hold the earth.

Variation 2 _horizontal deviations

Variation 1 _vertical deviations 85.

Detail view of overlapping curves of the constructed wall

This scriptand sorting is particularly interesting due to the variation in thickness and angle of the produced wall. Its could be very appropriate for reatining wall for terrace gardens on hilly and contoured areas.

evolution 5 Total Number of Broken Bricks = 126 Number of Broken Bricks Optimized = 126 Number of Broken Bricks Unused = 0

Elements: non- parallel side/ surfaced bricks.

Attributes: Angle of non- parallel surface.

Size of the surfaces

Relationships: aligning the bricks on the straight face with a descending order of surface size. Repetition after reaching a certain smallest limit in each layer gives variation in thickness. angular surfaces are aligned in one direction to address sun wind direction. Change in the position of the smallest brick in each layer to shift the pattern as it goes up.

Computational Control: The dimension of the maximum parallel surface determines the position of each brick. The direction of the acute angle determines the orientation of the bricks. Placement of the bricks according to the size generates a surface with varying thickness.

87.

illustrations: right up - elevation of a perforated surface done by script; right below - shadow pattern; below ; 126 sorted bricks according to the size of the angular surface

The script generates a pattern which may vary according to the necessity ( heat insulation, wind direction, shadow pattern etc.) the sorted process through digital control creates an emergent pattern resulting into a wall with ‘parametric’ play of shade-shadow .the whole process can be applied to achieve both solid and screened surface where the direction of the angles will respond to the environment. the outer face is giving a patterned surface wfile the inner face has smooth surface

evolution 5

X

1. Sort the bricks according to: A> B; A1> A2 ; B1> B2

X

2. One layer started with the largest dimension of A and B. 3. place the straight edges in one side following one straight line.

A1

B1 A2

B2

4. placement of the smallest brick in response to the required less thickness of the surface; then reverse the process. the ‘A’ side of one brick is attached to the ‘B’ side of the former brick 4. shift each successive layer by ½ of the width for better stability.

layer 2

layer 1

89.

perspective view _ changing shadow pattern

plan

south elevation

evolution 5 Sorting: sort the bricks according to the size of the maximum surface having 3 straight faces and 1 angular face.

Rules: 1. Place the bricks descending order of the size with the straight face forming a straight line and the angular faces facing one direction.

2. leave a certain amount of gap in between each parallel surface.

3. place the smallest brick: option A: in the same position option B: shift the position of smallest brick in each layer.

91.

illustrations: bottom up - option A: place the smallest brick in the same position in each layer; bottom down - option B: shift the smallest brick by one position in successive layer

Detail view of the varying shadow pattern of option A

evolution 6 Total Number of Broken Bricks = 121 + 121 Number of Broken Bricks Optimized = 227 Number of Broken Bricks Unused = 15 (mostly rectangular)

Elements: bricks having one non parallel surface, rectangular bricks

Attributes: Angle of non- parallel surface.

illustrations: right - experiment with the zig-zagged pattern which bi-furcates while having a bigger face to initiate placement of two bricks together. below - generated form placing each successive brick to have zig-zag pattern of perpendiculars of the last end; table of sorted bricks first according to the angle of the broken face in a row and then sub categorize into column of size in a descending order.

Relationships: aligning each successive brick forming a vector in opposite direction of the former brick.

93.

50

45

°

55

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60

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65

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70

°

75

°

80

°

85

°

°

90

°

Computational Control: The acute angle of the broken face determines the orientation/ vector of the each brick. Placement of the bricks according to the angles and size can generate an endless sequence of zig- zagged pattern.

40

°

Size of the bricks.

the sequential zig-zagged pattern opens up a new possibility of branching where the sequence bi-furcates if it gets a bigger surface whose vector is in the same direction of the former brick. this ultimately leads to an emergent behavior of fractal.

evolution 6 1. Sort the bricks according to the acute angle formed on the broken surface 2. Start with placing one random brick, then place the second brick with forming a vector by the last face opposite to that of the former brick.

illustrations: right: evolutionary process of complex formations generated by adding simple rules to the basic rule of zig-zagged vector; below: some sequence of possible formations by placing three bricks from the sorted list.

3. Sort the possible sequences formed by three bricks altering every brick from the main sorted table to have a list of possible direction and length which will eventually form different pattern/ space of different orientation responding to the specific site boundary.

40

°

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40 40

90

°

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80

75

85

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70

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65

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60

55

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45

sequence 1a_ smallest acute angle in between, sequence: L, S, L, S,L, S, L, S, L,.......

80

°

°

85

90 40 °

40°

40°

40°

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70 40°

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40°

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60 40°

40°

40

65

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55

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sequence 1b_ varying acute angle in between, sequence: L, M, L, M, L, M, L, M,....

°

40 °

40

°

40

70

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85

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80

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sequence 2a_ smallest acute angle in between, sequence: similar size bricks

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95.

sequence 2b_ varying acute angle in between, sequence: similar size bricks

rule1_ sequential growth of zig-zagged pattern by placing random bricks

rule2_ random branching; the growth bifurcates while gets bigger surface to initiate two bricks

rule4_ random branching; rectangular brick in the 2nd position after branching to form wider corner

rule5_ maintain sequence to form regular branching

rule7_ mark pairs of attractors while the growth is tending to form enclosures

rule8_ continue the growth to form enclosure

rule3_random branching; 1st & 2nd brick giving vectors toward outward direction after branching

rule6_ place bricks with smallest acute angle on 1st place after branching to widen the corner

rule9_ utilize sequence of 3 bricks to form regular spaces of required dimensions

evolution 6 Sorting: sort the bricks according to the angle formed by the broken face then sub- categorize according to their sizes.

Rules: 1. Start with a random brick in the first position.

2. Place the bricks in zig-zagged pattern according to the sorted list of possible sequences to achieve a closer result of required dimension.

3. Maintain regular branching and regular number of bricks in between two consecutive branching 4.Use the list of sorted sequence formed by 3 bricks as modules to control the growth towards required orientation and to form required dimensions inside.

5. After achieving pattern having required enclosures, place bricks on upper layer following the path defined by the lower layer.

6. Break the sequence of 3 bricks responding to the remaining number of bricks; maintain the nodes for branching.

7. Introduce screening in alternate layers placing with required gaps.

97.

illustrations: right - fractal formation by repeating the branching system; bottom left- zig-zagged pattern forming repetitive enclosures of different shapes and giving the path for the next layers of bricks; bottom right- placement of broken bricks with a gap for screening following the path of the lower layer

evolution 7 Total Number of Broken Bricks = 120 + 120 Number of Broken Bricks Optimized = 240 Number of Broken Bricks Unused = 0

Elements: non- parallel surfaced bricks, rectangular bricks

Attributes: geometry of each surface, Size and height of the bricks

Relationships: aligning the bricks on the straight face matching the geometry of the attached face with the last brick.

Computational Control: The nonparallel angular surfaces initiates an undulating progression throughout the placement. the placements can be controlled to direct the undulation according to site condition/ requirement.

99.

illustrations: bellow - undulated progression by matching the geometry of the surface between each consecutive brick; sorted bricks according to the geometry

placement of the bricks by matching geometry gives an undulated surface on top and a straight surface on the bottom side. the script can form a pattern each can continue as vertical surfaces.

evolution 7

1. Sort the bricks according to their overall geometry: length, width and height.

2. Start with random brick.

3. Place the bricks on their straight edges having non parallel/ straight surface forming the undulated upper layer.

4. Control the undulation by choosing among bricks having similar height in one side but different height in the other side according to the required surface quality.

5. Continue as vertical progression by introducing normal bonds on sides first to achieve the height of the undulated surface, then curved walls forming a continuous surface.

101.

illustrations: below- match the geometry of each successive brick. continue the process in both direction to form a contoured surface.

the bricks starts to form undulating progression by matching geometry of the attached faces.

undulated surface formed by repeating the progression in other direction

further extension of the undulated surface which may respond to the required land form or form a inverted landscape responding to the topography of the site

continue the progression in vertical direction by introducing regular header bond on the sides forming one continuous surface.

.102

evolution 7 Sorting: sort the bricks according to the geometry. further sorting may be done by forming single layers with curved surface which can be used to generate an artificial landscape or an inverted topography to achieve flat surface.

Rules: 1. Place the bricks in descending order of height to achieve required topography.

2. place regular bricks (full/ half) on the side where the vertical progression has to be introduced 3. place the vertical bricks to form a continuous curved surface.

4. for the vertical progression place the bricks with the angular surfaces to form smooth curves in elevation.

103.

illustrations: below- plan view of the continuous surface

The continuous surface emerged out of the process of match geometry forms an artificial topography which can be an integrated system of required functions and rain water drainage systems. the process can be applied to create an inverted topography to form a flat surface on an un-even site to have an even floor area.

evolution 8

Element – 1 non parallel side/ 2 non parallel sides Attributes – Angle of non parallel surface Orientation of angled face with flat face Following given path Relationship : The idea is to take an advantage of the different angles that broken bricks provides. After analysing different kinds of angles that broken bricks provides, the next step was to test them by interacting them with eachother and generate the forms that can grow in all three directions with specific controlled points. One of the control points is follow certain path that will provide a direction to the growth of the the bricks. The applying these rules it will start forms which would have potential to become an encloser or a framework/outline of a the enclosre.

Computational control : 1. To assign specific path 2. Through generative algorithem process, computer will try and analyes the best possible option to achive that perticular form.

x - Diifferent posibilities of origin of growth 105.

y - Growth along a curve

.106

evolution 8 x - Growth of broken bricks on straight line : arranging bricks by interacting non-parallel surfaces and straight surfaces. y - Growth of the bricks on a curve : arranging bricks where both the short faces of the bricks are deform to get more stability

and smoothness in the curve

z - Growth of the bricks on third direction

bending point of the profile by mean of brick broken from both short faces in an angle

107.

Varied angled bricks and different assigned paths would to a provife self supporting arch system that inself is made of Aligning varied hight arch formations with more or give less rise similar would give basic rules but multiplication such forms different as complex interlocking network. arise to a system that is not only hasand thewith potential orprofiles screenemmerges but can form a shelter

too.

evolution 8 Element – 1 non parallel side/ 2 non parallel sides Attributes – Angle of non parallel surface Orientation of angled face with flat face Following given path Relationship : This is the next step of the Evolution 8 where branching aspect gets added. Mainly three rules are applyed to branch an arch and at the same time to span an arch. 1st rule is originating point and make a straight line out of broken bricks of an arch based on the angle of the brick on which the whole assembly would be progressed on. 2nd rule is to arrange the bricks on a curve by playing with the relationship between the bricks broken from both shorter sides. And the 3rd and the most important rule is the barching of the arch, where branching takes place at a cirtain height by controlling the position and orientation of a broken brick which has been beformed from both the shorter sides.

Computational control : 1. To assign specific path 2. Through generative algorithem process, computer will try and analyes the best possible option to achive that perticular form.

Rule 01

Rule 02

Rule 03 bricks deformed from 2 sides bricks deformed from 2 sides in 3 axis

109.

evolution 9

Plan

Side View

111.

Front View

Multiplying the arch formations with varing heights and sizes creates this dramatic inlinked / interconnected network.

evolution 10 Circular arch Flat arch

Element – 1 non parallel side/ 2 non parallel sides Attributes – Angle of non parallel surface Orientation of angled face with flat face Following given path Relationship : Using the same rules that have been used in arch formations can be multiplyed and with varing heights and sizes to create an enclosure / skin which in itself is self Angle of Tilt - 20 degree supporting due the overlapping and staggering of arch formations.

Front View

Computational control : 1. To assign specific path 2. Through generative algorithem process, computer will try and analyes the best possible option to achive that perticular form.

Side View

Angle of Tilt - 10 degree

113.

Front View

Side View

Aligning varied hight arch formations with more or less similar provife would give arise to a system that is not only has the potential or screen but can form a shelter too.

evolution 10

Possibility A - Front view (flat arch)

Possibility B- Front view (semicircular arch)

Possibility A - Top view (flat arch)

Possibility A Possibility B - Top view (semi circular arch)

115.

Possibility B

Side view

Circular arch forms are easy to handle with broken bricks, as the properties of the broken bricks are such that it creates a stable and yet smooth arch formations.

06

machine

119.

machine

3

2

1

121.

machine The machine in the project is designed to be portable and as units which can be assembled / dis-assembled and can be easily transported.

Components : Package 1 the object holder and kinect holder are packaged into one case Package 2 -

4

the frames of the machine and the cloth can be packaged into this tubular case Package 3 laptop,kinect, webcams and tripods

Thus the designer can perform an on-site design + execution easily at any site without any considerations of transport of materials or machines.

1. components of the object holder and kinect holder 2. open view of the package 3. the case in its transportable form 4. the tubular case encasing the frames of the machine

.122

elevation

plan

object base

wheels stand gear connecting motor and object base servo motor - 180 degree rotation stand base

123.

exploded isometric view

machine The encasing frame prevents external light thus improving the scanning process.

Kinect is designed to scan objects placed at a min distance of 2 feet.

Hence the object stand is placed away from the kinect stand.

The measure of the whole unit is 1140 x 640 mm.

scanning unit top view

encasing frame

kinect

kinect stand

object base

object stand

scanning unit isometric view

.124

07

site & design application

Can Valldaura is a historical mountain villa which is a part of the green FabLab Barcelona. This historic place organizes various workshops for students from all over the world. I aaC,Barcelona already has planned some proposals for the site and taking cues from this project Recycled FaBric(k) has proposed some structures which could be built as test structures.

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site Can Valldaura History Valldaura farm, whose records date back to 1150, contains the remains of the first Cistercian monastery in Catalonia and also served as a royal palace for the Kingdom of Aragon.

The name Q Valldaura is derived from “Quadra de Valldaura� which was the property’s classification for the better part of the 18th and 19th centuries.

The standing structure, Can Valldaura Nou, was constructed in 1888. There are plans to restore this farm building along with the original irrigation system.

Justification IaaC (Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya) , Barcelona had organized a volunteer program to recover the recyclable materials like wood, bricks and stones to reuse them for the development of new structures at this heritage site. illustrations: left top: view of the Can Valldaura Nou structure; left bottom extreme: vistas from the site; left bottom: the volunteer program to collect recycled materials

We as students participated in this volunteer program and managed to recover a lot of bricks which were in good condition to be reused in construction.

Taking cues from this exercise we decided to experiment our project at this site and contribute to the design and development of possible structures at this site.

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design intention

Free standing kiosks and seatings designed out of broken bricks can be installed at site.

Can Valldaura often organizes various parties and outings for the students visiting IaaC,Barcelona.

These structures could act as semi enclosures as well as small zones demarcating various activities like plantations, kennels, seating alcoves etc.

Energy- Small biomass plant using remains of the forest.

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design intention

Can Valldaura has been constructed over a mountain and there are many terraces created for landscaping and micro agriculture pockets.

Broken brick walls could form retaining walls which can flow along the contour lines instead of forming hard lines and creating rigid terraces.

These fluid terraces would follow the lines of the contours thus reacting and behaving in tandem with the site

Food- Active agricultural system on the old terraces.

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design intention

Enclosure walls for the fabrication lab which has been proposed by the institute could be constructed with broken bricks.

The advantage is these bricks could create interesting patterns instead of mundane walls and also accomodate climatic factors like light and ventilation based on the orientation of these walls to the sun.

Fabrication- Production with new technologies, connected to the world.

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08

multi materiality

Another alternative to reuse broken bricks could be to reshape them to their original form by introducing a new material to its dynamics and generating composite bricks which not only add to their aesthetic appeal but also could become an infographic. Structural masonry walls have certain portions and load lines and some as mere partitions.These load lines could be portrayed by using a combination of normal full bricks and these multi-material bricks.

This project attempts to find possible materials that can bond to these broken bricks.

Recycle able materials like glass bottles, saw dust and paper were used to conduct these experiments

- multi material bricks

experiments multi-materiality Recycled FaBric(k) with Glass aim : restoring the original shape of brick with composite materials(recycled) digital control : not applicable process : multi-material chemical bonding formwork : plywood mould lasercut to the precise size of a full brick,a thin coat of grease to prevent the bonding of materials to the formwork base materials : broken bricks + glue + glass bottles curing : sun dried uses : creative installations, non structural translucent walls

energy consumption (MJ/kg) material procurement (Kms) material cost (Euros)

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raw materials

process

mixing glass chips with glue

broken bricks

+

process

crushing glass bottles into glass chips

glass bottles

compacting the mix in the mould to fill up the negative space

+ plywood mould laser cut to the size of a full brick

glue

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curing the product in sun till the glue bonds the materials into one homogenous piece

experiments multi-materiality option 1

option 2

option 3

option 4

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experiments multi-materiality Recycled FaBric(k) with Paper aim : restoring the original shape of brick with composite materials(recycled) digital control : not applicable process : multi-material chemical bonding formwork : plywood mould lasercut to the precise size of a full brick,a thin coat of grease to prevent the bonding of materials to the formwork base materials : broken bricks + water + paper pulp curing : sun dried uses : creative installations, non structural translucent walls

energy consumption (MJ/kg) material procurement (Kms) material cost (Euros)

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raw materials

process

a thik paste of paper pulpe is coloured

broken bricks

+

process

a mixer to make paper pulp from water and paper

paper

compacting the mix in the mould to fill up the negative space

+ plywood mould laser cut to the size of a full brick

water

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curing the product in sun till the water bonds the materials into one homogenous piece

experiments multi-materiality option 1

option 2

option 3

option 4

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experiments multi-materiality Recycled FaBric(k) with SawDust aim : restoring the original shape of brick with composite materials(recycled) digital control : not applicable process : multi-material chemical bonding formwork : plywood mould lasercut to the precise size of a full brick,a thin coat of grease to prevent the bonding of materials to the formwork base materials : broken bricks + glue + saw dust + wood chips curing : sun dried uses : creative installations, non structural translucent walls

energy consumption (MJ/kg) material procurement (Kms) material cost (Euros)

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raw materials

process

process

plywood mould laser cut to the size of a full brick

compacting the mix in the mould to fill up the negative space

mixing sawdust/wood chips with glue

curing the product in sun till the glue bonds the materials into one homogenous piece

broken bricks

+ sawdust/ wood chips

+ water

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experiments multi-materiality option 1

option 2

option 3

option 4

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