Fluid Structures: Final Thesis

FLUID STRUCTURES 2015-16

by Baxter Smith

Advisors: Ronald Rael Luisa Caldas

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FLUID STRUCTURES

by Baxter Smith

A thesis presented to the College of Environmental Design at University of California, Berkeley in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture 2016 Advisors: Ronald Rael Luisa Caldas

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Contents

Acknowledgments

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Abstract

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Introduction

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Precedents Categories:

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WAX

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AGGREGATE

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SKIN

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CAST IN CAST OUT

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EMBED Conclusion

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Bibliography

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Acknowledgments I would like to thank those that put up with a newly waxed floor without hurting themselves, as well as those for those that did not go postal on the 3d printers when they were making noises for several days at a time.

Thank you to everyone that supported me during this exciting and sometime stressful time. Thanks to you friends, family, and colleagues I am happy to present my Master of Architecture thesis book.

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Abstract

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We can design with fluids. In this expository thesis I pushed the inherent properties of wax to new limits using a mix of traditional uses of wax with 3d printing. Wax can be translucent, opaque or transparent. It melts at low temperatures but is also very stable in a static, solid form.

Paraffin wax, for example, melts at 110 degrees Fahrenheit. It can float in water and, as an oil, does not mix well with many other fluids. So what does this do for us? Well it allows architects, who regularly talk about the fluidity of people and the fluidity of space, to begin to actually design with a fluid.

These images show the first process in the exploration of printing with a dissolvable substance. Wax is poured into water, creating a solid layer between the water and liquid wax. This buffer builds up with the height of the water, resulting in layers of the wax, which continue to rise with the water level.

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Full Wax

Cast Cement

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Introduction

Raw PVA

Light Wax

Throughout the semester an investigation of techniques and tools in digital fabrication focused on dissolvable formwork. This lea to a process that investigates the ability to design with fluids, that achieved several outcomes. From an aggregated material on a substructure of scaffolding to a new floating language for building on water, the use of wax in combination with 3d printing has lead to many discoveries and solutions to very basic problems.

A major part of the process relies on dissolvable formwork because of its ability to passively be removed with the presence of water. It is used in order to extract complex parts after digitally manufacturing and casting. Some parts would be impossible to make in another manufacturing process. While most production processes work with the surface treatment of the material, dissolvable formwork has the

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potential to address the surface and interior of a material formwork.

This process of dissolvable formwork use the complimentary properties of water dissolvable filament, wax, and a casting material like concrete.

From the digital to the 3d printer, the form is fragile as exposure to moisture in the air will begin to degrade the freshly printed filament. Any exposure to liquid water would render the model useless because of the irreversible effects of water on the filament. This newly formed object would then be covered in wax to prevent any moisture exposure, but also to add volume or thickness to the substructure. Once the material is aggregated to the right amount it can be cast into a water based solidifer, in this case cement.

The final outcome is a negative of the original model with the full aggregation.

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Casting aluminum into hydro gels. BEC CREW

Precedents The techniques and processes used for casting materials into uncommon molds are still available today, but most of the examples were created out of an artistic or experimental thesis.

Hydrogels, a material that absorbs water, were used as a mold for molten aluminum, capturing the shape of the hydrogel and using the water for cooling.

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TAKU OTABA This artists take on motion and fluidity come in the from of static carved and painted wood sculptures.

Capturing lifelike moments in various positions shows the movement of a human through carving instead of casting.

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TONY CRAGG This artists take on fluidity results in forms and shapes difficult to capture. The process used to create these forms is unknown but the resulting static form is an inspiration.

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SARAH VAN GAMEREN This precedent uses the traditional method of candle making via dipping to create entire chandeliers made of wax.

Dipping of wax allows for a build up of layers on top of a scaffolding under the wax which can be in any shape.

This layering softens the underlying structure and softens the form.

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PETAH COYNE These wax sculptures are almost impossible to imagine in their complexity and precision. Wax’s ability to take on any form or shape can result in very detailed casts, and when repeated and aggregated create a new shape.

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WAX AGGREGATE SKIN CAST IN CAST OUT EMBED 24

Categories These categories are arranged for this expository thesis to express several unique lines of process tied together through material and form.

The processes start with an inquiry resulting from a previous category or new input from precedents or outside influences, and scale up to test one process or explore a new one.

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WAX Wax in its natural state. The models used water as the formwork, and the expression of the relationship between water and wax is embossed in the static forms. At this scale, we can already begin to see how wax can play a part in the forming of spaces.

These models explore a range of possibilities when using wax, including its ability to span and how it acts in compression.

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Compression Wax in compression.

Each layer is a lift of water and wax.

Each layer height is a response to how much wax is poured into the form and how much water rises.

Tight circumferences mean a lot of wax and a lot of water at the same time. The ability of wax to hold itself up through pure compression shows the strength and the innate ability for a liquid that hardens to strengthen, much like concrete.

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Compression/Tension The wax can also perform in compression and tension, shown in the study model.

Although the performance is not at its best, this model also was testing a process of casting the wax upside down, and building the form from top to bottom, not from bottom to top as the other forms are built. This allowed for a large overhand to form at the start of the casting process and lead to the ability to turn the model upside down once cast and hang the cup part.

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Spanning In order to emphasis the order of operations and the resulting span, red and white colored wax was used in this model. The process builds from the bottom up, starting with a pool of white and red wax on opposite sides of the build plate. After building up each leg under compression, the model begins to converge in the middle. Here the two colors, in a liquid state buffered by water, begin to intertwine. The hardened wax solidifies the connection and the span is formed with the removal of the water.

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Reverse C/T This model represents the same form as the other C/T test model but focuses on a different building technique. Using wooden dowels to create a lattice to build in, the wax starts from the base plate and creates the hanging piece at the same time as the column.

The dowels act as formwork to keep the wax in place while the form builds up, connecting at the top through a beam like member.

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Cantilever This model tests the ability of wax to span, shift in the vertical and horizontal plane, and cantilever. All tests were a successful representation of liquid wax in a liquid formwork at this scale. Again the colors are used to highlight connections and spans. The model builds up from the base plate and the surface finishes come from the water buffer around the liquid wax.

As it cools it picks up the surface textures.

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AGGREGATION This category looks at the behavior of wax when an object is dipped into wax, as a traditional candle maker might do.

This aggregation of the material on a substructure of scaffolding builds up layers, softening space, and removing harsh corners and awkward gaps. This technique allows the wax to be applied across a much larger area, going beyond its actual volume.

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Volume Working with a 3D printed box lattice substrate, the wax is accumulated to increase the volume of the form. The formwork is dipped into liquid wax, cooled, and dipped again.

This accumulation softens the hard edges of the original model, and turns the digitally crafted, 3D printed object, into a hand finished model with natural lines and curves.

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Space Utilizing the above technique, the substrate is digitally carved to form initial spaces, that are then reinterpreted through the dipping process.

Openings take on new shapes and gaps fill in to remove perforations and emphasize certain elements, in this case a long path way through the center of the model.

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Interior/Exterior Creating a model to test inhabitation resulted in a combination of the previous two models.

The substrate was digitally carved with interior spaces, and the wax was used to begin to create a separation between the interior and exterior. The tops and bottoms of the model were dipped more to build up more wax and the sides were left with more openings.

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Enclosure In this model, several different sized lattices were used to test how a floor, wall, and ceiling lattice of different opening sizes operate when dipped altogether into wax. The floor which as a tighter weave of lattice, accumulated wax faster and began acting as a complete surface. While the wall, which has larger openings, only aggregated a little bit of wax and still functioned as a perforated surface.

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Unit Working with the substrate of pasta, a lattice was formed to create a unitized formwork. The ability to use any material as an underlay for wax allows for these materials to be preserved in wax, but also act as formwork for other materials to be cast into. This model was the start of the dissolvable formwork series, using wax and pasta, to cast another material into, like concrete.

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Unit: Brick Again using the idea of a dissolvable formwork, this model uses PLA, a water soluble 3D printable filament, which is basically glue. The size is based on a cinder block and is meant to act as a unitized, porous brick. Ability to print this object and then remove it via water was a jumping point into another phase, but because a casting material like plaster is water based, the model must be coated in wax first.

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SKIN When wax and water are mixed together nothing exciting happens, until you look at the cross section of the container. In the cross section of these two liquids we can see how wax will float and fill the entire surface of the water layer below with no gaps.

This pure separation of the material from water makes it easy to peel the exposed wax off of the water and begin to apply this skin as a membrane.

The quality of light through wax depends on the thickness of the skin and can diffuse as much light as needed into a chosen space.

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Skin Support A simple 3D printed shell in this case, comes from a 3D scan of a wax object. The 3D scan of the analog object is reinterpreted through the 3D software, which the 3D printer then attempts to print. The result is an analog surface skin supported by digital fingers that is printed to take the form of a new object, referencing the original object as well as the 3D scan.

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Wrap A skin separates the inside and outside.

This separation prevents one side from interfering with the other and is used for protection. In this case a 3D printed lattice is wrapped in a wax skin. This skin creates a water tight seal around the lattice and allows the new object to float. As we know wax will float, but the seal helps to prevent water from entering the form, helping the lattice to remain in one position.

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Wrap 2 Working with the same principle, this lattice substrate was dipped in wax, and subsequently wrapped in wax. The form has overhangs and undercuts, which were all dealt with using the semi hard wax skin from a cooling layer of wax on top of water.

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Wrap 3 The climax of the wrapping models comes in the form of a complex, under cut, overhang riddle model.

The same process as above was used to dip and then wrap the object. Some of the edges on the model were left loose and create space through translucency of a hanging wax skin. The undercut portion of the model is left open, revealing the lattice inside.

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Dipped Wrap This model was a happy accident that started the skin wrapping. The cube was meant to be dipped in wax but unfortunately the wax had already begun to solidify into a hard layer on top of the cooling wax pot. This resulted in a skin layer which perfectly wrapped itself around the cube.

This scale model represents a possible architectural form, a semitransparent pavilion in space.

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CAST IN The next two categories, building on the previous 3, use wax in conjunction with another interesting material, water dissolvable 3D printable filament.

Cast in looks at how wax can be cast around a substructure of water soluble filament to protect it from the water in a casting material, like concrete. Once cured, both interior elements are removed via hot water. This process allows for the digital world to easily enter the physical world, through a wax medium.

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Brick Increasing the density of the lattice and reducing it size left a porous model of PVA. Once coated in wax it is able to be cast into with another material.

This model presents a snapshot of the process of printing, waxing, and casting, with the last step cut in half showing just the formwork for the final model.

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Cast Cube The result of the previous step with the material cast and the substructure removed results in the negative of the cast shape. In this case a cube lattice was coated, cast, and then the wax and filament were melted away using hot water.

The water temperature is dependent on the type of wax, and the warmer the water the faster the PVA dissolves.

The openings could become plant holders, or water collectors.

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Printing to Casting This model represents the full spectrum of the cast in process.

Each step is two lattice crosses long. From right to left going from start to finish the model is first 3D printed in PVA. The next step is to wax the model. One complete coat is necessary, but using the aggregate method a larger diameter of wax, thus a larger negative, can be produced. Lastly, the formwork and mold cap the piece and process.

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Cast Brick The final result of the casting process is a negative of the initial model and wax aggregate. This model uses cement as its casting material. The sides are removed via a wet saw to expose the inner workings of the model. Each space represents the footprint of wax and PVA, and as show at left, both of which were not completely removed to show again the process of the model.

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Cast Brick This model uses holes left from the removal of the wax to begin to explore the possibilities of controlling these openings for air, light, wind, sound and potentially soil. Each opening is regulated via PLA and wax, and the sizes allow for different programed elements to inhabit certain parts of the form. The model used PLA instead of PVA and was burned out in a kiln, again testing the ability of the forms.

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Casting In The cast in process uses the outside of the formwork to define the boundaries of the shape. This results in shapes that have intricate interior spaces and minimal flat exterior siding.

This model shows the interior complexity of a cast in shape, as well as its counterpart, the cast out shape where the interior of the model is cast.

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CAST OUT Cast out uses a similar technique but looks at the ability for wax to be on the outside of the cast instead of the inside, to act as the formwork. Again, another material can be used to cast into this new object to create a positive.

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Wax formwork Casting with wax as the formwork started a new process of examining how wax can be used in design, moving from solid to liquid and back again.

This model uses the original technique of wax in a water formwork, building up layers as sides and using the form as a cast-able formwork.

This called for several layers of formwork to be produced, including the water, the outside of the shape and the inside of the shape.

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Wax cast Using the principles of PVA, a form was printed and cast into with only wax. The PVA was then removed with water, leaving the wax cast in place. This form and process speaks to another process of using molten glass, cast into a ceramic mold, and then taken out of the form. Both processes were done at the same time and resulted in similar qualities, each cast material picked up the digital tool path and preserved it.

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To cast out, vents Using a traditional technique of lost wax casting, this model uses vents that would be used to completely fill a mold with a casting material and allow the material to fill all the gaps.

This technique was improved upon using digital tools to produce the optimal vent for each overhang. The process is shown in the following pages.

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To cast out, aggregate Using the previous model and the processes described above, the model was printed in PVA an then coated in wax. The was creates a barrier to preserve the PVA which hold the digital shape and allows for materials to be cast into or outside of the object. In this case the object was cut in half, one half was cast into and the other half was cast in another formwork.

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To cast out The result of the previous steps. This model shown without the vents, was the inside of the previous model, which acted as the entire formwork.

Waxes ability, with PVA, to with stand, albeit a small amount of, pressure from the cement shows its strength and ability to work alone as the formwork.

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EMBED The last category, embed, looks back to the first category, but asks, can we use the inside of the wax as a place of storage or water proof container?

A wax seal, long used by alcohol makers to preserve liquids, can exist as a barrier between an interior closed environment, and an exterior changing environment.

For example, the electrical components in these models can be submerged in water and still function.

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HVAC MEP This model begins to show how wax can act as barrier between interior and exterior elements while allowing those elements to protrude and intersect the form. In this case an LED is embedded into the model and the wires that power the LED from the battery move in and out of the form. The ability of hard wax to maintain its structure enables items to be embedded.

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Embedded tower This model embeds metal shavings connected to an LED. The LED can be lit via a battery connected to the scrap metal pieces that move the electricity. The form is another test for thinness when using water as a formwork to build up the wax. The LED and metal shavings are completely surrounded by the wax, except for a small amount of metal for the wires of a battery to attach to.

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Water proof embed This model is a test for waterproofing equipment to completely submerge an object in water while running power to LEDs. The LEDs are completely surrounded by wax and can function underwater while the wires lead to an external battery.

The battery could also be surrounded in wax and submerged with the object, and still function due to the wax separating the water from the equipment.

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This last model from embed, looks at the ability to float wax on water, and creates a scene for a shared human and marine ecosystem. This leads me to address the ability to begin thinking about an extension of the built environment, from the ground plane to the water plane.

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Conclusions This exploration of wax and dissolvable formwork allows architects to begin to use fluids as a design tool. The result of the process can move in a verity of directions including reef restoration, sound absorption, wave dampening on beaches, light diffusion, planters, water channeling, ephemeral floating wax habitats, fluid structures and even 3D printed candles.

This language could lead to a new way of how we design, and create a new species of architecture.

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Bibliography

Bhatia, Neeraj, and Mary Casper. The Petropolis of Tomorrow. New York: Actar D, 2013. Print.

Cement. (2015). Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia, 1p. 1.

“Fluid In.Flux_3D Wax Printing In Water.” Instructables.com. Web. 13 February 2016.

Netherlands. Watford, Herts: Michelin Travel Publications, 2001.

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Olthuis, Koen, and David Keuning. Float!: Building on Water to Combat Urban Congestion and Climate Change. Amsterdam: Frame, 2010. Print.

Print the Legend. Dir. Luis Lopez. Perf. Chris Anderson, Bruce Bradshaw, Craig Broady. Audax Films, 2014. Netflix.

“RecycleBot Turns Old Milk Jugs into 3D Printer Feedstock.” 3ders. org. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.

“The Seasteading Institute | Opening Humanity’s next Frontier.” The Seasteading Institute. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.

“Waterstudio -.” Waterstudio -. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2016.

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ISBN 978-1-365-11289-8

90000

9 781365 112898