Selected Works_Ji Shi

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S e l e c t e d Wo r k s 2 0 1 3 - 2 0 1 7

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Ji Shi jishi@princeton.edu +1 (609) 608-6760

Ji Shi is an architect and maker. He completed his M.Arch.II at Princeton University School of Architecture in 2017. Ji designs architectures and machines, and his work is highly digitally-based. His primary research focuses on architectural robotics, especially the digital design-prototyping-representation loop. His research also covers computational design and fabrication. Ji has assistant-instructed design studios and workshops in Princeton, Tsinghua and Tongji University. His work has been published on Time Architecture, Room1000, etc.

During his M.Arch.II program in Princeton University, Ji developed a consistent technology-oriented working methodology obsessed with coding, prototyping, and drawing. His 2017 graduate thesis Architectural Softness, advised

by Mรณnica Ponce de Leรณn, developed a self-balancing column units with non-standard inflatable members. He also worked with Prof. Axel Kilian and Ryan Luke Johns on several projects on architectural robotics and augmented materiality. Prior to Princeton, Ji completed his B.Arch. with distinction at Tongji University in Shanghai. He worked with Prof. Philip F. Yuan and participated in Tongji annual digital design workshops in 2014 and 2015.

Ji is a highly motivated designer and maker, and he is a hardworking team-player and fast learner. He is skilled in Arduino and Processing, advanced user of Rhino and Grasshopper. Ji is fluent in prototyping and familiar with electronics. And he is skilled in representation techniques of rendering and Adobe Creative Suite.

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ยง1 Academic Research on Architectural Robotics & Digital Fabrication Architectural Softness Rooms in an Autonomous Community Robotic Controlled 3D Manipulation of Chemical Reactions Robotic Manipulated 3D Printing

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ARCHITECTURAL SOFTNESS Individual Work Princeton SoA Graduate Thesis, Advised by Mรณnica Ponce de Leรณn 2017

Architecture is soft. Building, though visually hard, is a soft system which contains constant movements of deflection, expansion, displacement, etc. Movements which happen at the micro level reflect the underlying structural principles that guarantee the macro existence of architecture. Although deeply immerged in such complicated systems, people's sensuous experience of the softness of buildings is limited.

This project takes two steps to enlarge softness to an architecturally comprehensible level. Firstly, the pneumatic structure is digitally programmed to show movements at a visually noticeable scale. The movement is controllable, allowing people to shape the architectural element into the form of everyday objects. Secondly, through sensing technologies and some degree of machine learning, softness is expressed as an autonomous agenda rather than a merely passive reaction. The hard structure behaves as an agent that is equal in importance with the human being.

(Documentation work in progress...)

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Circuit Diagram

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Circuits Contained in Customized Station

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Customized Control Station

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Customized Control Station

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Self-balancing Column

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Close-up Detail

Close-up Detail

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Self-balancing Behavior

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Thesis Exhibition at Parasol Projects, Bowery, NYC

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ROOMS IN AN AUTONOMOUS COMMUNITY Individual Work Princeton SoA Studio, ARC-505B, Advised by Axel Kilian and Jeffery Anderson (TA) 2015

Robot assisting human construction work is not novel anymore. A lot of precedents, either conceptual or realized, has demonstrated this scenario already. This section discusses the new social scenarios developed through the human-robot cohabitation. Under this notion, the definition of “architecture” here is far more than a passive spatial container, while the meaning of “robotic” doesn’t merely refer to a series of motion manipulation - architecture robotics has its own significance in both technological and social level.

There are more than enough handy digital tools available in design, the key is to believe that autonomous qualities embedded in these tools are capable of (and actually are) dramatically changing everyday social experience and creating fundamentally different living scenarios. What architecture robotics really brought into the filed is the opportunity to fundamentally rethink architecture design from bottom-up, instead of a black box of moving/transforming/blinking/beeping accessories that can be added to architecture.

Motivated by this notion, I consider architecture to be the initial physical setup which allows complex behavior to be developed by other equally important agents (algorithms, machines, robots, etc.). Only knowing the latter part is not enough since we can’t just adapt a random digital feature to building and call it architecture design. What considered as conventional architecture knowledge is still important (even more important) since it tells us which technology to choose, which social problem to deal with, etc. The following research-based project, “A Room for Head & Rooms in an Autonomous Community”, aims to develop a human-machine cohabitation with a focus on the relation between human sensory awareness with architecture social implications.

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Project 1: Room for a Head

There are two basic social patterns, namely sociofugal and sociopetal, which further forms multiple social stereotypes. These prejudgments are produced mostly based on our vision inputs. What interesting is once vision is blocked, people are more sensitive in other channels.

What we propose is a room on people’s head which decides when to block/open the vision channel for its owner.

The project is a goggle-shape machine carried by people on their head. There are two sets of shades covering two eyes. These two sets of shades are controlled separately by two groups of servos . Two ultrasonic distance sensors are placed facing front left and front right direction. When the system works, it performs different patterns based on whether the distance sensor detected people inside the desirable communication range or not . If there are no existence of human, the shade will remain closed and this will force people to wander arbitrarily. Since people are not seeking their “communication partners”, we assume that fewer prejudgments and stereotypes will exist in the situation. And when there are people showing up while the host is wandering, the shades at the side where people appeared will be open. (the two groups of shades are controlled by two distance sensors separately). This drives people to turn to meaningful directions since there actually are people around. And when people have selected direction and go approaching each other, both of the two shades will open since both distance detection meet the requirements. And finally, people will enter a “allowed to talk” state after going through the “forced to wander” and “being directed” process, and this re-direction provided by the room on their head reduces negative social stereotypes and encourages social engagement.

Machine physically alters human vision

Vision repressed during heightened emotional states

Vision fused with tactile sense during actual lived experience

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Distance sensor (HC-RR04) with an anthropomorphic look

Physical Memory 1

Before // Social Stereotypes

Physical Memory 2

After // Social Encouragement

Physical Memory 3

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Project 2: Rooms in an Autonomous Community

The Room for a Head setup was scaled up to a cubic room.

4 groups of shades are set at 4 vertical sides of the cube functioning as doors. And the overall setup contains multiple rooms placed next to each other in a field. There are totally 9 state variations for each door considering the combination of door states and agent states. For each corridor, there are totally 81 different states considering the combination of two doors on each side.

Moment of private space: Kowloon walled city, Hongkong

These 81 variations are the physical memory of this setup, and they provide great freedom of transformation for the whole filed. The problem we want to solve is to flexibly change the configuration of the space, mostly based on the variations between publicity and privacy. The trade-off between public and private space is always considered to be a important topic of architecture. A lot of human failures occurred on this issue when people tried to solve a question which is beyond their intelligence . These qualities are so crucial that the best way to rule out human error is to leave this problematic issue alone and let it be designed by some smarter guys, namely computational algorithm. Although we don’t need to set up every possible situation, we still need to set a basic principle of interaction. The basic interaction rule focuses on encouraging people to meet while at the same time maintaining necessary privacy for each individual.

Moment of communal space: People’s Commune, China

Human failures: Pruitt–Igoe

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Physical Memory 1

Physical Memory 2

Physical Memory 3

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Agent-Based Finite State Automata (FSA) Interaction Model Mathematically complete Permutation (81 states) Sensor: "00"=Neither Center nor Door sensor activated; "10"=Center Activated; "01"=Door Activated; Door: "100"=Close; "010"= Half Open Half Close; "001"=Open ID DESCRIPTION PRE-ID Encoded String AFT-ID SensorA SensorB RoomA RoomB 1 00 00 00 00 00000000 1 2 00 00 00 01 00000001 3 00 00 00 10 00000010 4 00 00 01 00 00000100 5 00 00 01 01 00000101 6 00 00 01 10 00000110 7 00 00 10 00 00001000 8 00 00 10 01 00001001 9 00 00 10 10 00001010 10 00 10 00 00 00100000 10 11 00 10 00 01 00100001 12 00 10 00 10 00100010 13 00 10 01 00 00100100 14 00 10 01 01 00100101 15 00 10 01 10 00100110 16 00 10 10 00 00101000 17 00 10 10 01 00101001 18 00 10 10 10 00101010 10 19 00 01 00 00 00010000 27 20 00 01 00 01 00010001 21 00 01 00 10 00010010 22 00 01 01 00 00010100 23 00 01 01 01 00010101 24 00 01 01 10 00010110 25 00 01 10 00 00011000 26 00 01 10 01 00011001 27 00 01 10 10 00011010 27 28 10 00 00 00 10000000 28 29 10 00 00 01 10000001 30 10 00 00 10 10000010 31 10 00 01 00 10000100 32 10 00 01 01 10000101 33 10 00 01 10 10000110 34 10 00 10 00 10001000 35 10 00 10 01 10001001 36 10 00 10 10 10001010 28 37 10 10 00 00 10100000 37 38 10 10 00 01 10100001 37 39 10 10 00 10 10100010 40 10 10 01 00 10100100 37 41 10 10 01 01 10100101 42 10 10 01 10 10100110 43 10 10 10 00 10101000 44 10 10 10 01 10101001 45 10 10 10 10 10101010 46 10 01 00 00 10010000 47 47 10 01 00 01 10010001 47 48 10 01 00 10 10010010 49 10 01 01 00 10010100 50 10 01 01 01 10010101 51 10 01 01 10 10010110 52 10 01 10 00 10011000 53 10 01 10 01 10011001 54 10 01 10 10 10011010 47 55 01 00 00 00 01000000 63 56 01 00 00 01 01000001 57 01 00 00 10 01000010 58 01 00 01 00 01000100 59 01 00 01 01 01000101 60 01 00 01 10 01000110 61 01 00 10 00 01001000 62 01 00 10 01 01001001 63 01 00 10 10 01001010 63 64 01 10 00 00 01100000 67 65 01 10 00 01 01100001 66 01 10 00 10 01100010 67 01 10 01 00 01100100 67 68 01 10 01 01 01100101 69 01 10 01 10 01100110 70 01 10 10 00 01101000 71 01 10 10 01 01101001 72 01 10 10 10 01101010 67 73 01 01 00 00 01010000 81 74 01 01 00 01 01010001 81 75 01 01 00 10 01010010 76 01 01 01 00 01010100 81 77 01 01 01 01 01010101 78 01 01 01 10 01010110 79 01 01 10 00 01011000 80 01 01 10 01 01011001 81 01 01 10 10 01011010 81

*Not all permutations make sense, some of them are ruled out due to the architectural interaction scenarios.

For example, the string “10100101” doesn’t make sense. It means both A and B are in the center of their room while both of their doors are half open. The doors don’t need to half open (or open) since none of them want to meet.

Architecturally meaningful Permutation (22 states) Sensor: "00"=Neither Center nor Door sensor activated; "10"=Center Activated; "01"=Door Activated; Door: "100"=Close; "010"= Half Open Half Close; "001"=Open OLD-PRE-ID NEW-PRE-ID 1 10 18 19 27 28 36 37 38 40 46 47 54 55 63 64 67 72 73 74 76 81

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0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21

Encoded String 00000000 00100000 00101010 00010000 00011010 10000000 10001010 10100000 10100001 10100100 10010000 10010001 10011010 01000000 01001010 01100000 01100100 01101010 01010000 01010001 01010100 01011010

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NEW-AFT-ID OLD-AFT-ID 0 1 1 4 4 5 5 7 7 7 11 11 11 14 14 16 16 16 21 21 21 21

1 10 10 27 27 28 28 37 37 37 47 47 47 63 63 67 67 67 81 81 81 81

*the string “10010001”, for example, should be comprehend as “10(agent state of room A) - 01(agent state of room A) - 00(agent state of room A) - 01(agent state of room A)”, which means agent A is staying at the center of room A while agent B is approaching door in room B. And the door in room A is close while the door in room is half-open.

Interaction Scenarios Presented through Look-up Table

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Interaction scenarios presented through FSA model with actual spatial typologies visualized

00000000

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01010000

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01010001

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The blue arrow means the subsequent string is caused by agent state change. The red arrow means the subsequent string is caused by door state change action.

Interaction Scenarios Presented through FSA Model with Actual Spatial Typologies Visualized

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Workflow: Simulation & Physical Implementation

Lookup table (.csv)

Simulation of the scenario (with time-based agents program) Model: Finite State Automata (FSA)

Processing ---> Arduino Firmata protocol

Simulation

Agent-based system Agent triggering states

Processing simulation of the autonomous system & The system driven by simulation

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Physical demonstration of the community in a model scale

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Further Speculation: Building’s Personalities

Now the model can be described as a happy machine in which everything works perfectly just as designed – every time someone meets the requirement of doing something, the machine will let this thing happen. However, the machine can also enter bored state – even if you meet the requirement of triggering something, the machine may not respond to you since it is bored; The machine can also become angry - it will override the existed principles and do its own things no matter how you interact with it. Under autonomous thinking, architecture should have its own personality and the building is an equally important agent as human. Space is an active representation of building’s personality.

Personality of building presented spatially

I’m confused...

I’m bored...

I’m angry!

I’m happy!

Imagined Autonomous Scenario

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ROBOTIC MANIPULATED 3D PRINTING Collaborator: Xun LIU, Ruihua LUO, Yuqi CUI. “Digital Future” Shanghai Summer Workshop, led by Lei YU 2014

There are two types of machines - standard machines and non-standard machines. The computer numerically controlled (CNC) fabrication tools, such as routers, mills, or laser-cutters are standard machines. They are not intelligent devices though containing a series of complex physical execution. These machines have been adopted in the architecture realm over the last decades. On the contrary, architecture design and production are also obsessed with non-standard machines since they open up new possibilities which make a direct link between architectural objects and specific given objects. Today, architects focus on another approach of machines, namely the industrial robots. The commonly used 6-axis articulated arm robots, though containing complex control program, are not intelligent device either. They are also programmable machines with similarities to CNC – both of them show the universal qualities that can perform multiple jobs following similar procedures. However, the industrial robot has more freedom of being equipped with non-standard tools, commonly known as end-effector. This makes robotic fabrication different from CNC machine fabrication – the former focuses on the actual physical fabrication process while the latter focuses only on the control of movement.

Related Publications: Yuan, Philip F., et al. “Robotic Multi-dimensional Printing Based on Structural Performance.” Robotic Fabrication in Architecture, Art and Design 2016. Springer International Publishing, 2016. 92-105.APA Yu, Lei. “Intersection or Complementation - Robotic Technology in Autonomoy of digital Tectonics.“ Architecture Journal.

552(2014):32-33 https://vimeo.com/117134365

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Design-Oriented Printing Process Inspired by Nature

Fabrication oriented process: 3D printing as a closed black box

Design oriented process: 3D printing as open hackable design process

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The research aims to develop a new 3D printing strategy other than the generic fused deposition modeling (FDM) typology. The key is to rethink the printing process as something more than the linear extrusion of material. We found spider web very inspiring since each thread actually contains more complexity than its simple look from macroscopic view. A spider thread is normally made up of two parts, respectively spindle-knot and joint. These two parts have different structure patterns which work together to guarantee the overall structure performance of the cobweb. It’s proved that this sectional morphology makes the strength of thread four times stronger than that of steel in the same diameter (about 1/10000 mm). This fact gave us the idea of making the extrusion forming a 3D spatial structure instead of a 2D linear structure.

The additional sectional reinforcement will compensate the bending moment of the linear structure and as result brings better structure performance.

We extracted the microscopic morphology of the spindle-knot and decided to add multiple sinusoidal-shape auxiliary thread along with the main thread. In this way, the overall sectional area is increased, and we assume that the overall structural performance will be improved.

In order to figure this out, we did a Finite Element Analysis (FEA) in Autodesk Simulation Mechanical. The typologies are set as following: Type-A: linear (un-reinforced); Type-B: single reinforcement at 180°; Type-C: single reinforcement at 0°; Type-D: double reinforcement at 0° & 180°; Type-E: triple reinforcement at 0°, 120° & 240°; Type-F: triple reinforcement at 60°, 180° & 300°; Type-G: quadruple reinforcement at 0°, 90°, 180° & 270°. Two simulations were created: a point load of 200N vertical force and 40 N·m external torque. By comparing the deformation (deflection and buckling) of Type-A (linear unreinforced type) with deformation of Type B-G, as well as comparing the material consumption, we can conclude that Type F (triple reinforcement at 60°, 180° & 300°) is relatively better than other typologies.

Study of Different Section Typology using Finite Elements Structural Analysis

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Design of Non-standard End-effector (Printing Nozzle)

It’s intuitive to draw a rough sketch of the end-effector - one fixed printing nozzle in the center and three pivoting printing nozzles around. The key is to design a mechanical system that controls the motion of these nozzles. We decided to use only one stepper motor to drive the system while using a set of linkage systems to coordinate the motion of all three pivoting nozzles.

The final end-effector design is done after several iterations. The core component of the system is a hexagonal turn plate with petaloid fillet comers slightly sticking out of the main part. The outer boundary of this sophisticated shape traces a sinusoidal curve.

The turn plate is linked to a stepper motor sit on its back through an embedded gear system. Each auxiliary nozzles sits on a pivot which has direct physical contact with the turn plate. When the whole system works, the rotation of the turn plate pushes the pivot back and forth (the pivots have spring mass to push back). This oscillation pattern is associated with the shape of the turn plate. In this way, the pivots work as angel switches which can be controlled to open and close. If we “unroll� this oscillation through time, the trace of the nozzle will show the sinusoidal pattern.

The nozzles use standard 3D printer component which contains heating module and temperature sensor inside. Since there are four printing nozzles placed in a very close position, the commonly used cooling typology are neither capable of efficiently cooling the whole system down nor being able to fit in the relatively small space. So, we applied an air compressor to provide compressed air from an external source and used tubbing and fittings to guide the air towards right position. All the material delivering systems apply same principles used in conventional 3D printers, but they are integrated in a compact external station with LED screens allowing people to control different variables. The non-standard end-effector was carried by a KUKA KR6 R900 sixx robot. We setup the robot inside an aluminum framework which helps to stabilize the robot. This framework represents the intention of integrating all machines into a work station which provides designers with unique design experience.

Nozzles State 1: Open

Nozzles State 2: Close

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Printing Experiment of Spider-net Structure

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Exploded View of Non-standard End-effector (Nozzle)

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Underlying Math & Mechanism of End-effector

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Integrated Performative Machine Station

Machine Station Setup

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Station Printing a Self-supported Structure

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ROBOTIC CONTROLLED 3D MANIPULATION OF CHEMICAL REACTIONS Collaborator: Ivy FENG, Wan LI Princeton SoA Seminar, ARC-574, Advised by Ryan Luke Johns 2015 Does high resolution fabrication require high resolution material? Conventionally speaking, the answer is yes and this describes most traditional craftsmanship - a process that requires high level precision from the very beginning. And this indeed brings challenges to architecture since building contains a series of materialization process in multiple scales with different material. People have developed two solutions for this: On one hand, people have developed techniques that guide them going through this difficult process by making things as high resolution as they can. On the other hand, people have developed a whole set of error-correction method, leaving reasonable redundancy for potential imprecision or deflection to compensate the low resolution fabrication process. And this actually implies how digital technologies were introduced into fabrication filed.

On one side, with precise fabrication tools like Computer Numerical Control (CNC) or industrial robot, architects are capable of easily iterating the fabrication process and pushing the resolution to a level below 1mm. This methodology has been tested and developed through the past ten years and has brought incredible achievements. However, on the other side, the control and feedback concept commonly used in automatic control system raised the question can we build “good” things with “bad” parts? This inspires the fabrication process by introducing live feedback and interaction into the filed, and the focus is no longer the frozen model but the dynamic fabricating process.

This tendency gradually became the current fashion of robotic research, and the novel part of robotic fabrication is no longer about the industrial efficiency or the high-level resolution, but the intelligence that locates at somewhere else.

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Concept of Controlling Natural Crystal Growth of Chemical

In this experiment, we choose to use sodium silicate solution with a volume ratio of water: sodium silicate = 4:1. And we selected white color calcium chloride (CaCl2) as main reaction metal salts.

The dominating feature of natural growth is that the chemical will always follows the direction of gravity - It’s vertical. In order to control the formation of the crystal growth and transform it into a relatively high resolution form, it’s crucial to get rid of the limitation of vertical direction. We also found that the growth is a relatively slow process and this gives us the window to control if we can slowly change the direction of the growth while the structure is growing. The hypothesis is: If we constantly change the orientation of this base plane, every newly grown structure is supposed to have a different angle compared to the previous ones.

We designed a machine to test this idea. In the front is a platform carrying a vessel containing the solution and the chemical; in the back is a servo driven rack-and-pinion actuator which can tilt the platform by lifting one side up. This tilting mechanism constantly changes the orientation of the vessel hence changes the orientation of the base plane of the growth. It is analogous to growing the chemical under different directions of gravity. The experiment results proved our hypothesis that the direction of growth can be manipulated by re-orientation of the base plane level.

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uncontrolled Natural Growth

Hypothesis of Control: An Analog of Alternating Gravity

Rack-pinion actuator

Tilt!

Sodium silicate Metal salts

Tested With A Low-Res Machine: Hypothesis Proved

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Maintain vertical due to the free convection of buoyancy

Growth direction relative to base is oriented

Design of External Chemical Dropper

ROBOT & END EFFECTOR 1.1 ABB IRB-7600-400 Robotic Manipulator (Courtesy of Princeton SoA Lab) 1.2 Adapter for Robotic End Effector (Courtesy of Princeton SoA Lab) * End effector was mounted with double 40mm t-Slot Track.

End Effector (Material : 1/8’’ transparent plexi) 1.3 * A mobile platform for crystal growth.

Metal Mesh on the platform (Material: iron) 1.4 *Metal mesh provided more friction for crystal structure to attach.

1.5 Origin Point of End Effector (Central point of the platform) *This point was measured by robot and reentered to the program *Tool data absolute coordinates [96.81, 32.55, 604.56] (Exp. Jan.22 2016) CHEMICAL REACTOR 2.1 300mm*300mm*300mm Solution Container (Material: 1/8’’ transparent plexi) 2.2 78000 ml Sodium Silicate Solution (Water : Sodium Silicate

= 4:1) 2.3 Solution Level Height: 260mm (Relatively to the work object coordinates system) 2.4 Chemicals Dropping Point *Dropping point work object coordinates [100,150,260] Work Object Coordinate System Origin (XYZ Vector as 2.5 showed) *Absolute coordinates of this origin [-1374.60,915.50,559.50] (Exp. Jan.22 2016) EXTERNAL MATERIAL DROPPER (Showed in Fig. Detail) 3.1 Central Control Circuit and Battery *Arduino UNO R3 + 1602 LCD Screen + Breadboard + 4 AA 3.2 Batteries Material Dropping Control Panel *Potentiometer + Press Button + 2 9V Batteries 3.3 Solenoid Push & Pull Motor 3.4 1st Material Funnel (Material: Plastic) 3.5 Bendable Connection Pipe (Material: Plastic) 3.6 Small Cantilever Piece as a Spring (Material: 1/8’’ MDF) 3.7 2nd Material Funnel (Material: PVC)

Illustration of Experiment Set-up

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3.8 3rd Material Funnel (Material: Paper) 3.9 Base, Frame & Support of the External System (Material: 1/4’’ MDF) 3.10 Support of the system (Height Adjustable) DOCUMENTATION 4.1 Front Light with a Studio Light (Courtesy of Princeton SoA) 4.2 Nikon D300s Camera to Take Images of the Fabrication 4.3 Back Light with a Studio Light (Courtesy of Princeton SoA) 4.4 Frame of Backdrop (Material: 30mm t-Slot Track) 4.5 Backdrop Cloth (Material: Cloth. Color: Black) WORKING AND MAINTENANCE 5.1 Selected Chemicals of the Experiment *Chemicals including xxx. Purchased from xxx 5.2 Water Pipe for Purifying the Solution after Experiment Wasted Solution Container 5.3 Clean Water Bucket 5.4 Other Tools Used in the Experiment 5.5 Table (Work Object Base)

Detail

Detail of Chemical Dropper

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Toolpath Design & Iterations

We drew a 3D spiral curve in Rhino and converted it into polylines with 7 segments. For each segment, the normal plane about this segment is extracted at the end point, which implies the correct orientation of this segment during growth. As shown in diagram, the key is to orient the preceding base plane to rest level with the top of the solution in Z-axis while keeping it under the material dropping point. So, the preceding segment is in vertical orientation and can be grown based on the natural growing pattern. Since in the experiment we are always manipulating the base plane of the first segment, which is also the plane of the end-effector, we need to figure out where this plane should go and this decides the toolpath of the robot. So, we compared the orientation differential between the preceding base plane with the very first base plane, and orient the preceding one to level under the dropping point. The overall motion of the robot is about repeating this orientation method for every segment in the growth.

Initial input

The Forth Iteration Of Growth

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end

All 7 iterations of growth

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All Toolpath

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Completed Results

Match between Digital Model and Completed Fabrication Model

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Completed Fabrication Model

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LARGE SCALE 3D PRINTED & CONCRETE INFILLED PAVILION Primary Collaborator: Zhongyuan LIU, Yidong MA, Yuan YAO, Yijiang HUANG DADA Workshop, Led by Lei YU 2015 As part of broader agenda we are aiming to develop and test different computational methodologies adjusted by latest development in the field of digital fabrication and material systems. In order to achieve a highly crafted controllable integrated strategy that cover the whole cycle of design to fabrication, we are particularly interested in experimenting and studying the potential of additive robotic fabrication process.

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Design Workflow Geometry formfinding: Triangulated paneling and 0ptimazation: 3D printing pattern and G-Code: Robotic manipulated cement infill toolpath:

Rhino plug-in Rhino Vault Rhino with Grasshopper Grasshopper plug-in Silkworm Grasshopper plug-in KUKA|Prc

Features: Completely 3D printed panels Span of 5.5 m Interior highest point reaching 2.4 m

Rendering of Digital Model

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Completed Pavilion

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166 Panels

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Printing Path of Panel 84

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Experiment Setup

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Illustration of External Extruder

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Completed Pavilion

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ยง2 Design Projects Thermal-machine: Air-purifying Urban Canopy in Beijing Self-notion: Light Tower in Shanghai Re-imaging: Rendering Representation of Art Studio in New York City Knock-off City: Future Museum in Shanghai #1 Technology as Memory: Future Museum in Shanghai #2

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Thermal-machine: Air-purifying Urban Canopy in Beijing Individual Work Princeton SoA Studio ARC-506A, Advised by Alejandro Zaera-Polo and Jeffery Anderson (TA) 2016

“Anti-Smog Thermo-Machine” is a research based architectural mitigation of smog problem in Beijing. The primary focus includes two aspects: 1) Architects collaborate with specialists and integrate cutting-edge technology in design. 2) Design in real urban site with grounded consideration of social, cultural and economic context. Based on deep collaboration and wide-range researches in multiple fields, we designed a clean-air bubble around “The-Place Shopping complex”, one of the most popular public space in Beijing, China.

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Naturally-driven Air-purifying Process

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Axon View of Structural and Machinary Systems

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Selected Technologies in the System

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SELF-NOTION: LIGHT TOWER IN SHANGHAI Collaborator: Ivy FENG Runner-up Proposal, Shanghai Eastbound Light tower International Competition 2016

SELF-NOTION is a provocative design which aims to enhance self-awareness of each individual of the society. Architecture works as a physical agency making the invisible human sensory measurements embodied in everyday life.

The design chose moisture, energy and balance as media to implement this concept. These three are corresponding to water, power and intelligence, which could be viewed as most crucial factors of society development through the history. The goal is dual-folded: on one hand, architecture works as a capture device to record these measurements of people passing by; at the same time, the space will re-represent these qualities through a different media, which provides people a different angle of comprehending these common senses. Through this loop, people’s self-awareness will be enhanced.

There are plenty of digital device which can capture these measurements (e.g. sensors), the crucial thing is finding a way to re-represent them. In SELF-NOTION, we did intensive research into natural phenomenons, and build metaphor models of each sensory qualities. We chose cloud as representation of moisture, lightning for energy and aurora as a way to simulate balance.

These artificial simulation of natural phenomenons, which corresponds to its initial human sensory qualities will benefit people by enhancing their self-awareness, and it will also contribute to the city as an aesthetic spectacle.

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Concept Illustration of Interaction

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Section

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RE-IMAGING: RENDERING REPRESENTATION OF ART STUDIO IN NEW YORK CITY Intern Work Kermanshachi Design 2016

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Rendering of the Re-designed Art Studio

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Exploded View of Central Vanity Pod

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KNOCK-OFF CITY: FUTURE MUSEUM IN SHANGHAI #1 Collaborator: Erica Barrows Tongji-RPI Joint Studio, Advised by Kyle Stover 2014

“Knock-offs” is the idiom we use to describe things that are not original, like a reproduction, an alien alteration or a hybrid mutation. In simple term, it represent all the fake copies. Seeing a knock-off, we quickly grasp the original it mirrored and match the similar features - after all, knock-offs are copies made to look, feel, or operate like the real thing. It would be easy to dismiss knock-offs and forgeries as cheap products unworthy of investigation. However, the inner value of knock-offs is behind the mask and has great potential far more beyond our awareness.

People may be deceived and ignore the ingenuity that beneath the label which in the capacity to alter the tectonic logic of the original. One has to be innovative to make an original, which is easy to some extent; but it takes expertise to make a successful knock-off. The knock-off is an unauthorized imitation, designed to deliver the same effect for a fraction of the cost – and it is ironically the most unique and interesting product in today’s global society.

Architects are experts at making knock-offs. This is easy to understand if we check everything we do as an architect - we study history and look for what we can learn from to fit in the immediate context; we build up our own architectural vocabulary list mostly based on the existing form or theory categories; we use emerging techniques to create “grandly new stuff” which actually turned to be only new expressions of the existing system. Architects are professional imitators with a penchant for practice. As a practice, architecture is an act of repetition.

Citation, quotation, adaptation, remake, series, and forgeries are textual operations within this logic of repetition – and it is precisely this logic of repetition that connects architecture and knock-offs.

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Sectional Perspective

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Axon View of Entrance

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Interior Rendering

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TECHNOLOGY AS MEMORY: FUTURE MUSUEM IN SHANGHAI #2 Individual Work Undergraduate Thesis, Advised by Ercument Gorgul 2015 Following story assumes that “human being wiped out by technology” scenario has happened.

First, human lost productivity. Lots of spaces which were considered to be crucial became useless. Office, factory became nothing but for memorizing. They became museums.

And after loosing productivity, human lost authority. Human intelligence was gone. So as human democracy and politics.

New spatial and political architecture was created. It was a filed for fast-iterating technologies - what we once considered to be “Yey! Amazing!“ suddenly died and were left behind in warehouse. This formed a new type of museumology. It’s cool. We were happy.

Then, there was a short period during which human and machine lived together. We thought we were controlling technology, we drew this conclusion based on what we have learned through past thousands of years. And we were still happy.

However, machines are able to and more likely to learn. They are good. They are better than us. “Yey! Amazing!“ suddenly switched to “What’s going on?“ Suddenly we found we have built up a machine-oriented society. These architecture were non-human already. And we don’t even know we are confused by this.

Finally, we unconsciously developed a both physical and socio-political structure for non-human occupants. And in their side, they finally became autonomous. We ended up in prison of technology and being controlled by technology that we created and once worked for us.

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HUMAN

library: human intellegience

office: human productivity

conventional logistics of efficiency

technology boom and left in warehouse

technology boom and left in warehouse

artificial landscape

are we happy?

human-machine cohabitation

new power

new non-human control center

more new non-human things

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factory: human productivity

conventional museumology

human democracy collapse

human space minimized

fase assistance by robots

special space for robots

huamn rely on machines

are we still happy?

large non-human dominant objects

POST-HUMAN

autonomous robots

a totally digital void field

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Drawing Details

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Drawing Details

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ยง3 Other Works in Archive

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Studio Work, Performing Arts Center, 2014

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Studio Work, Mixed-use Community in Shanghai, 2014

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Competition Proposal, Community Center at North Bund, Shanghai, 2013

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Studio Work, Shopping Complex at Hailun Road, Shanghai, 2013

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Individual Work, Interior Design, 2015

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Intern Work, Interior Design Archive, 2016

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Individual Work, Mac

Name: goggle #1

Name: goggle #2

Name: floppy room

Description: block vision

Description: block vision better

Description: door open/close autonomously

Name: less floppy room

Name: tilter

Name: dumb dropper

Description: door open/close autonomously

Description: continuously tilt to mix things

Description: drop things through shaking

Name: better dropper

Name: mirror sets

Name: 4 nozzle extruder

Description: drop things by better hitting

Description: to reflect light?

Description: 4 nozzle extruder

Name: platform #1

Name: platform #2

Description: a platform for material test

Description: another platform for test

Name: aperture #1 Description: shade close/ open for fun

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chine Archive, Ongoing

Name: soft #1

Name: soft #2

Name: funny walker #1

Description: a thing that can stand

Description: a thing that can move

Description: walk awkwardly

Name: soft #3

Name: set for 6 power sockets

Name: air manifold

Description: a thing that can contract

Description: a set for 6 power sockets...

Description: an air manifold...

Name: humidity cube

Name: creepy air diffuser

Name: LED blinker #1

Description: a cube with moisture sensor

Description: air diffuser on column

Description: super bright led

Name: LED blinker #2

Name: electro-filed generator

Description: work like lightning

Description: generate adaptable fields

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