GROTTO

Academic project - Group Work - UPENN

Site: Fairmount Park- Philadelphia

Teammates: Nicholas Houser, Jeffrey Liao, Xinlin Lu, Tingwai Mo

Instructor: Ezio Blasetti

The project was the design of a hybrid structure that supports an Autonomous Public Garden. The project will manifest as a lightweight endoskeleton providing envelope and support for the growth of an organic structural and ephemeral system. This semi-structural composite scaffold (Robotic 3D Weaving of Continuous Carbon Fiber + Composite Materials) will support the internal growth of the garden: synthetic environments of high definition. Over time the two systems - organic and inorganic – will merge into a single ecology. We utilized Cellular Automata spawn points that adapt to different site contexts.We examined Cellular Automata as a non-linear system in both design and tectonic aspects. We then started into producing the Cellular Automata-based pieces by utilizing carbon fiber knitting and designed our prototype based on this technique. To accommodate the workable area limitations, these carbon fiber blocks can be manufactured using the same jig and process, yet still achieve customized modules.

Contribution To The project

Idea and Development

Modeling+ Scripting

Diagram Development

Presentation + Video + Photography

Robotic Carbon Fiber Knitting fabrication

Design using cellular automata

Assembly Logic of part of the whole structure

Assembled parts