Foundations of Design : Representation, SEM1, 2017 M3 JOURNAL - PATTERN vs SURFACE Kim Huang 913199 Hana Nihill, Studio 22
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WEEK 6 READING: SURFACES THAT CAN BE BUILT FROM PAPER IN ARCHITECTURAL GEOMETRY Question 1: What are the three elementary types of developable surfaces? Provide a brief description. (Maximum 100 words) The elementary types of developable surfaces are cylinders, cones, and tangent surfaces of space curves. Cylinder surfaces can be formed by extruding a profile curve in some direction; the rulings of these surfaces are all parallel to each other. Cones consist of a profile curve p, a vertex point v and all the lines connecting p and v. Tangent surfaces of space curves are formed by connecting the vertices of a polygon.
Question 2: Why is the understanding of developable surface critical in the understanding of architectural geometry? Choose one precedent from Research/Precedents tab on LMS as an example for your discussion. (Maximum 100 words) Developable surfaces can be easily covered with sheet metal; they carry a family of straight lines, which makes flat surfaces and can simplify the construction of them. For the Huyghe + Le Corbusier Puppet Theater, its form was created with interlocking, diamond-shaped polycarbonate panels. These panels are not only rigid and stable in structure, but can also be easily assembled and disassembled. The repetitive patterning of the panels also contribute substantially to the theatre’s overall aesthetic quality.
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PANELLING 2D PATTERN
2D Panelling Pattern: Triangular
2D Panelling Pattern: Wave
2d Panelling Pattern: Christmas Tree
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VARIABLE 2D PATTERN This variable 2D panel uses the curve attractor function with a circle base shape so that the circles are biggest when they are close to the curve, smallest when they are away from the curve.
This 2D panel features the transition between two shapes: circle and hexagon. With the curve attractor function, the shapes gradually transform from hexagons to circles as they approch closer to the curve, which runs diagonally from the top-left corner to the bottom-right corner of the panelised surface.
This panel is created with a custom Christmas tree shaped pattern randomly rotating across the terrain surface.
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3D PANEL TEST PROTOTYPE & TEMPLATE
Using Rhino, the panel modules are joined so that each unrolled template contained five modules. Tabs were added around the templates for gluing.
The photo above shows ten rows of the 3D panels (fifty modules) folded and attached together.
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WEEK 7 READING: DIGITAL FABRICATION
Question 1: What is digital fabrication and how does it change the understanding of two dimensional representation? (Maximum 100 words) Digital fabrication is the use of computer-aided design technologies / applications as modes of representation and construction. This process calibrates between virtual models and physical artefact and aims to narrow the gap between representation and building, so that a “hypothetically seamless connection� is established between design and making. Digital fabrication has made two-dimensional representation more efficient, easier to edit, and simpler to learn. However, though it changed the form of drawings from being analog to digital, the fundamental nature of two-dimentional representation remained the same.
Question 2: Suggest two reasons why folding is used extensively in the formal expression of building design? (Maximum 100 words) 1) Folding is both an economical and visually appealing method to turn a flat surface into a threedimensional form, effective at multiple scales. 2) It expands the three-dimensional vobaculatry of surface in a straight-forward way, through naturally producing deformation and inflection in the material.
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EXPLORING 3D PANELLING
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The aim of the final 3D panelling model is to combine two-dimentional elements with three-dimentional ones, as well as to make a seamless transition between them. In order to achieve this, my design incorporates both flat surfaces and 3D forms within each panelling module. Five different rectangular modules are used, and each module is divided diagonally so that half of it is a pyramidal form and the other half a flat triangular surface. The panelling grid points are offseted in such a way that the heights of the modules varied smoothly from 0mm to 59.4mm across the terrain surface. The surface is panellised with the point attractor function, and the top vertices of the pyramids followed the natural S-shaped curve of the original surface, creating a wave-like quality. To embellish the model, diamond-shaped openings of varying sizes are cut out from the flat triangular parts of the modules.
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UNROLL TEMPLATE OF YOUR FINAL MODEL
Once the panels are joined into groups, they are unrolled into flat developable templates. On these templates, the blue lines denote cutlines, whereas red lines denote fold lines. They were exported from Rhino into Adobe Illustrator in full size in preparation for printing.
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PANELISED LANDSCAPE
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APPENDIX
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In an order from right to left, this image shows the procedure of simplifying and rebuilding the original terrain in preparation for panelling.
Using the four modules shown in the bottom-left corner of this image, initial experimentation of 3D panelling using the curve attractor is carried out. However these examples are not particularly desirable as they do not show subtle transition from 3D to 2D, and the patterning isn’t particularly appealing.
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This image shows the experimentation with different panelling options. Given the same modules used, the variation among these options appears to be subtle.
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This image displays the different panelling modules used for trials. All of them are rectangular based so that they would fit perfectly into the panelling grid. All modules are pyramidal in nature, but the positions of their top vertices vary.
(5) This image shows all of the individual panels folded and arranged into their designated positions, prior to being attached together.
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The patterning of the pyramidal forms imitates the effect of a school of fish swimming in the ocean. The sides of the pyramids swirl around and point towards the top-left corner of the panel (see image 6)
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