Bended & Twisted

Bended & Twisted

Chair for Computer Aided Architectural Design www.caad.arch.ethz.ch

Bended & Twisted Bended & Twisted explores the potential of a Kuka robot being used as a generic tool and forms part of a set of ongoing research and tutoring experiments, each providing the machine with a different “head” and material.

The project was realized in November and December 2010 by the CAAD MAS class 10/11 and supervised by Mathias Bernhard, Manuel Kretzer and Tom Pawlofsky.

The initial task asked each student to design a free standing “Parametric Paravent” for the Chairs new premises. The structure had to be made from CNC-produced components that would connect via a simple, rule based system. Self defined external factors should work as parameters to introduce variation into the structure. All components had to be designed according to a system that would allow for both simple fabrication and setup.

The Paravent had to be at least 2.30m high and 3m in length.

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32 sqm

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Jesper Thoger Christensen, whose design was selected, proposed a twisted structure, based on a simple reciprocal pattern made from bent MDF boards. The pavilion should work both, as an eyecatching icon, representing the Chair for CAAD, but also as an semi-permeable meeting and presentation area.

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Initial investigations focused on finding a pattern, which would allow all parts to be connected despite their changing shape and orientation. Furthermore 1:1 material tests were performed to understand the behavior of the material and inform the design and patterning process accordingly. Last but not least, the overall geometry was continuously adusted in terms of curvature, size and bending, in response to the experienced physical results.

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These basic experiments followed an intense examination of the Kuka robots potential as CNC milling machine as well as the development of customized scripts to distinguish layers within the structure and parametrically update all elements according to changes within the system, but also to automate the preparation of cutting paths for the machine and labeling of each individual element.

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For the final presentation only a segment of the overall structure was assembled. The piece consisted of 45 differently bent triangulated units, 139 MDF plates and 59 connection plates.

Unfortunately the final pavilion has so far not yet been realized to its full extend.

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Design: Jesper Thoger Christensen Mihye An, Nikola Marincic and Aleksandar Lalovic Supervision: Mathias Bernhard, Manuel Kretzer, Tom Pawlofsky

Master of Advanced Studies Computer Aided Architectural Design http://www.mas.caad.arch.ethz.ch/ http://www.mas.caad.arch.ethz.ch/mas1011/

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Chair for Computer Aided Architectural Design www.caad.arch.ethz.ch

Manuel Kretzer, 2012