m3 journal

Foundations of Design : Representation, SEM1, 2018 M3 JOURNAL - PATTERN vs SURFACE Yue (Melody) Yan

994311 Junhan Foong (Studio11)

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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.

The three elementary types of developable surfaces are cylinders, cones, and tangent surfaces of space curves.. Each of them contains only parabolic surface points or flat points. A cylinder surface is formed by parallel lines, whereas cones do not have parallel lines. Cones have profile ces which are connected to a vertex point v. Tangent surfaces of space curves are special ruled surfaces since each tangent plane is tangent to the surface along an entire ruling. In other words, in any point of a ruling R, the surface has the same tangent plane.

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.

Developable surfaces can be unrolled and built with paper in real life. They are easy to assemble and they are often used in the design process. In order to understand architectural geometry, we need to break down the surfaces into panels, and look at how lines are connected within a plane, and how planes are built by multiple lines, then finally come up with original designs. One example could be The Greenhouse by Plasma Studio, utilises panelling to create a geometrical structure that invites the visitors to embrace the surrounding landscape.

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PANELLING 2D PATTERN

2D Panelling, Pattern: Hexagon

2D Panelling, Pattern: Box

2D Panelling, Pattern: Triangular

2D Panelling, Pattern: Diamond

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VARIABLE 3D PATTERN

3D Penelling: Pyramid 1

3D Panelling: Custom Variable 1

3D Panelling: Pyramid 2

3D Panelling: Box

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3D Panelling: Custom Variable 2

3D PANEL TEST

These two images show the test model we did in a group in studio class.

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WEEK 7 READING: DIGITAL FABRICATION Complete your reading before attempting these questions:

Question 1: What is digital fabrication and how does it change the understanding of two dimensional representation?

Digital fabrication is a generative medium where computer programs are used to generate three dimensional physical models. It narrows the gap between representation and building, affording a hypothetically seamless connection between design and making. Digital fabrication is often one of the final stages of the design process. It falls under the umbrella of computer-aided design and manufacturing (CAD/ CAM), which are easy to edit, efficient, and reflect on the complexities of surface geometries.

Question 2: Suggest two reasons why folding is used extensively in the formal expression of building design?

Folding is a useful technique not only for making form, but also for creating structure with geometry. The operation of folding material has gained currency in digital-fabrication processes, making the design process easier and more efficient. It also expands the three-dimensional architectural definition of surface by naturally producing inflection and deformation.

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EXPLORING 3D PANELLING

Instead of point attractor, I used curve attractors in the Ptpanle customer variable setting, so the objects at the centre of my landscape would be the highest. I also added bounding boxes around the mesh objects (as the image shown the left) to enhance the visual presentation.

Rhino view of the final model The panel was screenshotted in the rendered display mode to show the solid form and shadows, whereas the meshes were screenshotted in the ghosted display mode to show the geometries that inside the bounding boxes.

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UNROLL TEMPLATE OF YOUR FINAL MODEL

Unrolled surfaces with tabs

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PANELISED LANDSCAPE

Image of my final panelised landscape Close-up views of the panelised landscape

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APPENDIX

Working Progress

The cutting and scrolling process I used a metal ruler and a pen knife to trace the tabs, then I was able to bend and scrol the ivory card easily.

As the photo on the right shown, I used small bull nose clips to stick the surfaces together, so it is more efficient than waiting for the glue to dry.

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