WEEK ONE – COMPRESSION CHALLENGE Aim: The challenge presented to us in tutorial was to construct the tallest tower possible with the supplied equipment within a two-‐hour period.
Equipment:
v Small wooden block v Elastic bands (optional)
Our walls were constructed using the basic brick layout, which worked well in having a much better interconnected and solidified wall that benefitted us during the weight-‐testing period.
One of the major issues we ran into with a box shaped structure was the potential of not being able to have a roof. Ultimately, elastic bands were used to create compressed larger slabs of wood, which we draped over the structure to create the roof.
In accordance with the main theme of compression, the structure had to utilise mass in order to create a freestanding structure. Within my group, we could only construct a small structure that primarily relied on thick columns and walls, which could accommodate for larger masses. We chose to use the basic box wall structure. 636535 – Isaac X. Mercado
WEEK ONE – COMPRESSION CHALLENGE During the testing period, much of weights used on the structure had a large even surface thus the walls worked effectively and had the ability to withstand the pressure. However, if the mass of the weights stayed the same but were centralised on the structure, it may have collapsed.
Due to the thickness of the structure, the material efficiency was quite low. Our team used plenty of bricks and questions were raised as to whether or not some could be taken away as they served no purpose.
Upon observation of other structures from the other groups, it was evident that circular domes would have been much easier to help with our roofing systems. Also, understanding centre of gravity and how the using the technique displayed in another group helped create a much more efficient tower.
636535 – Isaac X. Mercado