AA Int13 2016/17_WRINKLE

WRINKLE

TRANSFORMABLE MATTER

AA Intermediate 13 ANNA ALESHKINA

Tought by Soomeen Hahm

TRANSFORMATION OF FOAM Introduction As the main interest was the creation of volume, I had to analyse what I can do from the original state of foam which was flat. I found a controlled technique by stitching the foam together in a specific way, so that I would get a similar result each time. In order for foam to keep its shape, the hardening process had to take place, so I had to experiment with different methods to create the seamless boundary.

FROM FLAT TO WRINKLE For the scale of the chair I was using 6mm foam. In architectural scale this would change, and the material will get thicker.

BEHAVIOUR The stitching allowed me to hide the ugly edge that the foam itself has. If the sheet of foam increase, the amount of stitching decreases, therefore in a bigger scale, this would be less problematic.

FORM The shape of foam has to be kept in its geometry, therefore I had to apply different hardening methods before forcing the piece inside a boundary.

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A lot of research has been done on light structure, as it is an aspect that architects and engineers are trying to archive when constructing a building. To contribute to this research, this project s main research agenda is integrating the two main concepts of structure and architectural space. Through the use of foam, the research lead us to explore certain formal languages which are specific to the way it can be stitched or folded for example, as the shape is generated by the behaviour of the material itself. Foam also gave additional qualities like the texture, the softness and also translucency.

The aesthetic qualities of the materials are also captured and actually they became the main driver of the design research, which explores the control of fold patterns and volumetric qualities on the texture it creates. The broad material system research has been developed to a point, where all the aesthetic qualities of foam have been kept. The research during the FIRST term has been focusing on a series of physical prototypes to test the behaviour and the materiality of foam ‒ the way it can be controlled to create wrinkles and also what would be the best way to harden the foam. But also creating a series of simulations with the use of Spring particle system that allowed the digital testing to be done. The foam itself doesn t have a good structural property, as it is a very soft material, however through an in-depth research of the materiality, the use of PVA and Resin helped to generate this strength in the material and to keep it rigid.

In architectural scale, this type of material could be utilised for walls especially, because soft foam is a good sound absorber and also a good insulator, as they have small air gaps. Those types of walls are most likely to be used in public spaces, to reduce the noise; also as this is a translucent material, it could allow the sun light through as well. The density of wrinkles could separate the area of darker and quieter spaces, creating more intimacy for the people. Those structures could be used in parks, especially during summer days, in order to create a shadow space in the area that is need most, but also have enough sunlight for the users, without the direct sun.

The way of constructing the structure could be through inflation and pressure through inner part and also the outer geometry, similar to how the concrete fabric is being utilised to create shelters. The geometrical boundary can be reused and also placed in a different way each time, which would allow a variety of geometries to be created using the same geometrical panels that act as a boundary for the foam.

AA Int13 Wrinkle ¦ Anna Aleshkina

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INSPIRATION VOLUME Wrinkles The main references that I was using were by fashion designers, that were creating the winkled shapes with the use of thin pieces of foam, also creating the fat like shape with the process of inserting and forcing the materials into a form. I though it was interesting creating volume from a at sheet of material like foam, especially if this was made from one piece of material.

NADINE GOEPFERT

This fashion designer has created dierent shapes, especially fat-like curves, with the use of soft memory foam, I want to analyse how she creates those wrinkles.

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COMME DES GARÇONS

This brand is well known and some of the pieces also include the usage of foam and the creation of the wrinkles and volumetric designs.

AA Int13 Wrinkle ÂŚ Anna Aleshkina

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POLYGON MODELLING INCREASING WRINKLES

INCREASING WRINKLES

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PHYSICAL MODEL Creating a shape with the use of framing With the use of digital fabrication and also physically testing the foam, I managed to create a shape that would let light through and see how the foam reacts with light. Also I explored how dierent amount of wrinkle would eect the light source.

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GRID ANALYSIS Analysing the shape What is also important, is to find the best way of how I could use less material in order to decrease the amount the spending on the material. So the best option was a hexagon, as it occupies 82% on the a sheet of foam, compared to the circular shape where it is 78%. The difference is small, however in the bigger scale like the creation of a chair or something more architectural could have a sufficient effect. The square shape was 1% off from the hexagon, but because it has 4 connection points to the centre, it doesn t create such a nice wrinkle, therefore, it wouldn t be suitable, even though, the shape occupies 81% of a sheet of material.

SQUARE

CIRCLE

Saving Space: Suitability:

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78% Occupied

Saving Space: Suitability:

81% Occupied.

PENTAGON

Saving Space: Suitability:

62% Occupied

ption ale like connec.

pied

HEXAGON

Saving Space: Suitability:

82% Occupied

TRIANGLE

Saving Space:

70% Occupied

Suitability:

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ANALYSING WRINKLES Pattern and shrinkage

By Looking closer at the dierences of pattern against light I found some interesting results. Circular pattern has a very patchy form, hexagon - even form all the way along, square - has a vertical form in some parts however still a dense form, triangular - linear pattern and allows the most light through.

HEXAGON PATTERN

CIRCULAR PATTERN

63 % Decrease 12

SQUA

76 % Decrease

SQUARE PATTERN

TRIANGULAR PATTERN

69 % Decrease

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HARDENING FOAM Keeping the shape

The behaviour of the material could vary, therefore in order to keep the shape as it is, I need to add another material, that would keep it in shape. The strongest one was of course plaster, however it wouldn t be suitable, because it makes the piece very heavy and also it doesn t keep the wrinkle. If applying a thin layer of plaster, it doesn t work as well, because it cracks very easily. Resin and PVA works best, so in order to keep it in its shape and also to save cost on the materials, it would be best to combine both of them together.

RESIN

THIN LAYER OF PLASTER ON ONE SIDE

Smoothness:

Smoothness:

Kept Wrinkles:

Kept Wrinkles:

Brittleness:

Brittleness:

Strength:

Strength:

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THICK LAYER OF PLASTER ON BOTH SIDES

PVA

Smoothness:

Smoothness:

Kept Wrinkles:

Kept Wrinkles:

Brittleness:

Brittleness:

Strength:

Strength:

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TYPOLOGY OF DIFFERENT FORMS

CASE STUDY

Model 1:10 Theatre for Two First model that was created for the typology with the use of the curvature ďŹ ndings, was the theatre that would be used by two people. This space has a lot of wrinkles due to being placed in the area close to the railway, where it needs to be the most sound absorbing. It is located in the corner of the festival area, however in the most nosiest place, therefore because it is a theatre for two people it needs to be more intimate, therefore most of it has to be covered by wrinkles.

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The sides that would be the most absorbing part and work as diusers

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Roof with thin layer of foam, to let natural light through

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Soft seating for the a pair of people

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Three photographs describing the model, looking at the exterior. The inside seating should fit approximately two people, it is made through folding the foam together and connecting the pieces with the thread. The model shows the idea of having one continuous surface, however it is made out of 7 separate pieces. The roof has a translucency to it, as there is a need of natural light in order for the performance to take place.

The inside started to take a dome like shape, with the creation of interesting ceiling parts on the top. The wrinkles on the inside, also acted as diffusers, where as the ceiling which was covered with resin, was more translucent and also would reflect the sound better, than without the coating. At this scale, I had to use a different material, which was cotton, however it had similar behaviour to foam, as it still created wrinkles in a similar manner.

One of the typologies that also has a shell like outer structure. The inside is also similar, so that the sides also act as diffusers and the roof provides translucency for natural light to shine through, however it still wouldn t be direct light.

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CHAIRS ITERATIONS Input and Output

The top part are the forms that I started of with

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STOOL DEVELOPMENT Preparation for physical making

In order to create the physical model, I had to think of a strategy how can I reduce the amount of materials used, and also how to have the clear cut edge on the stool. So the main principle that I wanted to go with, was to have a hollow space inside, as it doesn t need to be seen. If I have something like a balloon that will push the wrinkles to the sides and will expand from the middle, will make the edges more sharp with the use of pressure while hardening and waiting for the PVA to set. The stool can be assembled from two part, to make the drying process faster and then fused together when resin is applied.

PVA + Resin Geometric boundary

Foam

Hollow space

A section cut through the middle exposing the shell- like structure

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REI KAWAKUBO / COMME DES GARÇONS

MAISON MARTIN MARGIELA

Deconstruction

Deconstruction

Comprising of a series of garments that had been intentionally destroyed , Rei s unique vision was extremely divisive, earning her as many critics as it did admirers. Black maxi skirts were teamed with moth-eaten knitwear, the fine shreds of the material left to hang loose and flow as the models walked the runway. There was also little in the way of structure at a time when fashion was obsessed with tight, figure-hugging dresses, Kawakubo s oversized jackets and heavy swathes of fabric were specifically designed to cover the body.

Martin Margiela first got the fashion world thinking in 1989 with a collection that challenged what luxury could be. Applying grunge techniques such as deconstruction, recycling and raw finishes, in an intelligent and sleek manner, his ideas provoked shock and intrigue. In a rejection of mass media culture, Margiela became an anonymous design hand and has hardly ever been photographed or interviewed.

SITE- DWELLING-CLOTHES-HUMAN You have a city scape which is organised into dwellings. Then the dwellings surrounds the human, who gets under duvet wearing a pair of pyjamas. There are different densities of space around the body in this system. Some near, some distant, but all have relative values to the human form.

-Patrik Schumacher 22

HUSSEIN CHALAYAN Multiple usage Chalayan s models appeared dressed in seemingly simple clothes like a black coat, or tan trench, and then secreted away the household objects inside the coats or in outer pockets. Like millennial (and amazingly chic) nomads, they wandered the stage in stiff black dresses inspired by Christian Dior, ruffled skirts, shirts with strange volumes, all of it perfectly proportioned, very new and outrageously modern.

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GORDON MATTA CLARKE Physically Cutting - Hidden Spaces In a process of making so that [he] could understand the physical potential of what it was to do something in relation to material without having to get into a hierarchy of judgement or evaluation about its deďŹ nition as art or sculpture.

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MATERIAL RESEARCH Starting Flat To create a skirt that was made from different sized patterns, I had to first draw the pattern in order to get a clear understanding of how the pieces are stitched together from two dimensional to three dimensional.

CLOSE DARTS

Similar to the beginning of the project, I started of with a flat piece of foam, and made a pattern, that would eventually create a sphere, because this was the easiest and faster shape to make, that would create volume. I started to record each pinching technique, diagramming and also took videos at each step, so that the process could be repeated.

CUT

CLOSE DARTS

YOKE

YOKE

CENTRE PANEL

CENTRE PANEL

SIDE PANEL

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CENTRE BACK

T CENTRE FRON

CUT

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AL RESEARCH

t 5 - Component 3

MATERIAL RESEARCH Starting Flat Similar to the beginning of the project, I started of with a flat piece of foam, and made a pattern, that would eventually create a sphere, because this was the easiest and faster shape to make, that would create volume. I started to record each pinching technique, diagramming and also took videos at each step, so that the process could be repeated.

ponent was made to the similar process to the last one and a hole was made in order to connect the other 2 components together, so as a continuos shape.

MATERIAL RESEARCH Interior Experience The most interesting part in order to create experience was the connection of the 3 pieces together to make it as one. So the circulation is something that should be considered, as for the experience this is one of the most important aspects. Maybe this could connect different size of theatres together.

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MATERIAL RESEARCH Interior Experience The most interesting part in order to create experience was the connection of the 3 pieces together to make it as one. So the circulation is something that should be considered, as for the experience this is one of the most important aspects. Maybe this could connect different size of theatres together.

MATERIAL RESEARCH Interior Experience The most interesting part in order to create experience was the connection of the 3 pieces together to make it as one. So the circulation is something that should be considered, as for the experience this is one of the most important aspects. Maybe this could connect different size of theatres together.

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MATERIAL RESEARCH Explorations

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FINDING FORM Experiment 6 - Component making process The recording of every move, helps to recreate the shape again, and then to ďŹ nd logic between the folding and the wrinkles that would be created afterwords.

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THE ROYAL NATIONAL DORFMAN THEATRETHEATRE CASE STUDY CASE STUDY

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1 - ENTRANCE 2 - BAR AND BOX OFFICE 3 - FOYER 4 - STAGE 5 - SITTING AREA 6 - BACKSTAGE

The site itself has been recently rebuilt in order to increase the capacity for the auditorium. Currently this theatre is able to hold 450 people during the performance.

DORFMAN THEATRE

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ENTERANCE TO THE AUDITORIUM Exploring the current theatre What I found interesting, is that the entrance to the theatre is on the ground floor and when you go up to the first floor, where my seats where located, you get straight away to the last floor of that theatre.

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DE-CONSTRUCTION OF EXISTING SITE Horizontal and Vertical sections To show the inside of the theatre, I created the sections, so it will be clear to see how everything is located inside, for example the ceiling and the seatings especially.

One Surface 3D model

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CONTINUATION Creating one surface In order to work out how the foam will be applied I had to change the previous iteration of the model, due to the fact that it should be created as a one surface, so that each oor will be connected to each other.

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SOUND TRAVEL ANALYSING SOUND TRAVEL Colour coding absorption and reection The sound is the most important aspect of the theatre in order for it to be successful. The design had to be altered in some way, especially around the stage, where the front is curved, because that way it would reect to the audience, but close to the bottom the sound show be absorbing as well, so it wouldn t distract the actors themselves.

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REFERENCES - FASHION VS. ARCHITECTURE MICHIKO KOSHINO

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CONCRETE FABRIC

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MATERIAL RESEARCH Reference South bank is like a concrete jungle, so in order to ďŹ t into the environment, I decided to think about concrete canvas as the main material, as it can be stitched and also it is easy to work with, as only water has to be applied with no mixing required.

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Florian Schmid stool

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MATERIAL RESEARCH Concrete Canvas South bank is like a concrete jungle, so in order to fit into the environment, I decided to think about concrete canvas as the main material, as it can be stitched and also it is easy to work with, as only water has to be applied with no mixing required.

1) 25 sqm can be assembled by two people 2) It takes approximately 1 hour 3) Drying time is 24 hours 4) Very good insulator 5) 7 Kilograms per metre 6) 5, 8, 10 mm thickness 7) 1 meter width up to 200 m length 8) Off - cuts are minimum 10 pounds per meter

Construction With the use of inflation technique that was used before, would help to create a certain shape, but it would be used as a scaffolding method, after the construction it would be removed, in order to create a useful space for the performances . The cables would also be cut of, when the structure is dry. The wood would be imbedded in the concrete, making it into continues surface.

The support cables would also be temporary, as they would help to form the space.

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Using inflation in order to create covered space that would be used after the construction, therefore after it would ne hardened.

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FINDING FORM Overall Shape From dierent iterations I have decided to work with this one, as it has created interested curvatures and folds, I have understood that the key to while assembling the model, was to control the amount of pinching points, and also making the cuts more straight and then experiment with ipping direction. After the testing I have realised, that the less contact points you have, the more volume is created and this is particularly important, as this would create a bigger interior spaces, as well as the interior. After this model was done, I had to alter i t slightly, so it would work in terms of circulation.

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FINDING FORM

FRONT

BACK

Diagramming every move

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SITE PLAN Connection with the site In the plan I tried to emphases the circulation around the performance space, different ways of how could it be accessed from the surrounding areas.

WA TE RF

WA TE RA CC

SCALE 1:350 54

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RO NT AC C

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TY A

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UN DE RG RO UN DA ND

CI

CITY ACC E SS

WAT ERF

RON T AC

CESS

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BIRD EYE VIEW The southbank Foam was used for form ďŹ nding, but of course in the real world it would be impossible to make it in such scale, so therefore as was mentioned before, the material that would be used is the concrete canvas, which would be cut and folded in the same way, as the foam experiments.

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