YES2021 - Senior Research Architecture Studio - 5/5 (Matharu) by ucalgarySAPL

TEC H NO R E LIC S

APPLIED RESEARCH IN FABRICATION AND MATERIALIT Y IN THE AGE OF THE HUMAN EPOCH ARCH 702 Senior Research Studio in Architecture II, Winter 2021 Instructor: Sumer Singh

ST U DI O I N T RO D U C T IO N Sumer Singh “Svyambhav, the Sanskrit word for the ‘self-born’ aesthetic, as design and fabricate with these technofossils. There are new distinct from rupa, the man-made form imposed through human opportunities available for architecture within the blurring of the artifice..” – Anish Kapoor: Making Emptiness, by Homi K . Bhabha material nature for the creation of hybrid strategies. and Pier Luigi Tazzi Students were introduced to the key concepts of the Human Techno Relics was an applied research studio emphasizing Epoch, its causes and impacts, through relevant films, readings, a design based directed research for the final semester of the art , photography, histor y, and design precedents. There was an Masters of Architecture degree at the University of Calgar y ’s investigation into the intersection of technology, nature, and School of Architecture, Planning, and Landscape. A range of geological/cultural histor y, in order to create hybrid architectural architectural, material, software, and fabrication methodologies models for site specific projects. Due to the advent of new were proposed broadly engaging a critical understanding of the materials driven by technological and economic exploitation, Human Epoch and its impact on Earth’s geology. Students were the studio explored design techniques for new types of aesthetic challenged to apply their individual backgrounds and interests and performance opportunities in contemporar y architecture. accumulated throughout the previous semesters to increased In summar y, the studio was structured into four phases: Initial levels of precision, intensity, rigor, critical and creative thought , topic research, investigation into fabrication+materiality within and ultimately architectural design. selected topics, investigation into post-digital design within selected topics, and a final site specific case study project. Using The studio examined the discipline’s potential in applying research a post digital approach to design and fabrication, the studio based physical and digital tools to advance our understanding created a feedback loop to bring the digital to physical, physical of material compositions and fabrication. This was done within back to digital, and repeat , in order to find new opportunities the context of the unofficial Human Epoch, also known as the and aesthetics of representation. This included the utilization Anthropocene era where human activity through technological of XR (AR/VR) in Architecture and the development of UX (user means has started to have a significant impact on the planet ’s experience) representation models. The mixed-image form, climate and ecosystems. The irreversible alteration of the materiality, fabrication techniques, and representation techniques Earth’s upper surface requires a shift in our understanding of were manifested from the studio’s approach to design. the traditional system of organic versus synthetic. Man made materials have become ubiquitous and a massively distributed The studio was conducted during a lockdown period and part of the environment at various scales. Nature has taken its restrictions due to Covid-19 in Calgar y. Although all students were course and swallowed these synthetic materials to create new located in Calgar y, they did not have access to regular school shop compositions of naturally occurring complex conglomerations, or studio facilities. Tailored solutions and access to the Mercedes thereby blurring the boundaries between the agency of man, and Singh shop were provided with added restrictions. Despite nature, and technology. Critical questions emerge for architects these circumstances, the students demonstrated great resilience, and the new materials available for us to use. If the agency of creative problem solving to conduct their physical explorations, nature is inclusive of manmade materials, then our discipline too and an overall display of passion and rigour in their work . must reconsider its own boundaries and evolve our capacity to

Fabrice Monteiro: Prophecy Series, spirits embodying site specific organic and synthetic materials

TAB LE OF C O N T EN T S OCEAN PLASTIC Joseph Crawford

WHAT YOU HAVE BECOME Danielle Kim

WASTE NOT Gordon Ngo

E-WASTE DIMENSIONS Ugonna Ohakim

AN ALTERNATE FUTURE Anagha Patil

THE UNEQUAL HUMAN AGENCY, IMPACTS, AND VULNERABILITIES OF THE ANTHROPOCENE Lealyn San Juan

UNSEAN Zainab Saif Ahmad

PUNJABI FUTURISM Mehakpreet Sidhu

104

HYBRID ALGAE Lilian Wang

124

THUNDERBIRD Zachar y Ward

146

OC E A N PL A S T I C Joseph Crawford

OCEAN PLASTIC With the onset of planetar y industrialization, has come the age of mass consumerism and products that satisf y the desire for human convenience. We live in the plastic era where waste plastic is accumulating in all shapes and sizes in our natural systems. Plastic pollution across the earths surface is an undeniable indicator of the Anthropocene epoch. In 2018 alone, 359 million tons of plastic was produced. It is estimated that each year 8 million metric tons of plastic enters the ocean each year. This annual accumulation has resulted in 5 gyres or islands of plastic in the earths oceans. The largest of these islands is the great Pacific Garbage Patch which covers an area of 20 million square kilometers and is estimated to weight 80,000 tons.

Impacts of ocean plastic collage

Ocean plastic collection collage

This plastic in the ocean poses a variety of risks to ecosystems and species. Entanglement and ingestion kill thousands of marine animals each year. However, the breakdown of this plastic posses a greater risk with the bio-magnification of micro and nano-plastics through the food chain. It is estimated that 8% of the pacific garbage patch is micro plastic and this number is quickly increasing, as particles continue to breakdown, placing greater urgency on getting the plastic out of the ocean. Currently major initiatives exist around the world. However, most of the garbage collected in the past decade has been directed to landfills because of limited recycling infrastructure and technology.

Ocean plastic exquisite corpse

PACIFIC NORTHWEST CONTEXT This project focuses on applications specific to remote pacific northwest coastal communities. Guided by ecological and Indigenous values, this project intends to build restorative relationships with the natural environment and develop design inter ventions and fabrication strategies that considers the wellbeing of remote, Indigenous communities. Building off existing initiatives, this project attempts to provide opportunities to better recognize the true value of this ocean plastic and explore ways it can be utilized in a local architectural application. Remote coastal communities along the pacific northwest are generally sealocked communities with populations ranging between 250 and 15000 people. Many Indigenous Nations inhabit areas of the coast and have for thousands of years. Har vesting from the ocean and forest is common practice for coastal residents making food security ver y susceptible to ecosystem collapse. Therefore, these communities have an invested interest in collecting ocean plastic and maintain an ethos of ecological stewardship.

Pacific northwest map

PROJECT PARAMETERS A list of parameters have been identified to guide the methodology and research: Convert Ocean Plastic into a usable building material that embodies its origin yet fits into a west coast architecture. Promote and facilitate the collection, sorting and fabrication of ocean plastic on a community level.

Ocean plastic

VALIDATING THE COMPOSITION OF OCEAN PLASTIC

Ocean plastic composition

Validating the composition of ocean plastic was done through conversations with individuals actively involved in coastal garbage collection and published sur veys completed by The Ocean Clean Up. Based on this research a range of commonly found Ocean plastics was determined. Commercial fishing equipment comprised of hard plastic floats, baskets, nets and rope and PE foam blocks make up for an estimated 46% of the plastic in the garbage patch.

Ocean plastic composition validation diagram

PLASTIC COLLECTION AND SORTING PROCESSES In the first scenario, plastic would be collected along the shoreline by local community members. This plastic would then be placed in large reusable nets and transferred to larger barges via helicopter or marine vessel depending on the geographic location.

chip, sort and manufacture the plastic will be located. This cannot be easily or efficiently completed by humans. Therefore, utilizing current highly sophisticated technology, such as light frequency cameras that use infrared, x-ray and ultraviolet light to determine plastic density and colour down to particles 2mm in size. Flotation, magnetic and artificial intelligence are additional technologies In the second scenario, fishing vessels and barges will head out that will be deployed to help with the sorting process. Once the into the pacific ocean to pre-identified locations of the pacific HDPE has been separated from the other materials it is lastly garbage patch. These boats will collect the garbage filling their divided based on colour type. Once this has been determined it own storage holds as well as that of the barges. can be melted and used for final future projects. In both scenarios, the plastic will be transferred to the refitted canneries where infrastructure to retrieve the plastic from boats,

SCENARIO 1

1: Community members collect plastic along the shoreline.

2: This plastic is placed in large reusable nets.

3: This plastic is transfered to a barge via helicopter and marine vessel depending on geographic location.

Existing industrial sized vacuums remove garbage from boat holds and barges.

Automated machinery uses the following fractioning techniques to sort plastic based on resin type: 1: Light frequency technology with ballistic air 2: Hight Speed Conveyor Belt / Star Screening 3: Magnetic 4: Artificial Intelligence 5: Flotation 6: Human

Existing conveyor belts move plastic into buildings and through buildings

SCENARIO 2 Polymer Resin

Types Colour Types Separated based on resin type and material.

Organics

HDPE

Metals

2: These boats collect garbage and sort organic matter from non-organic matter through humans sorting on deck and using wet separation systems.

1: Fishing vessels and barges travel to previously identified locations of the Pacific Garbage Patch

3: These boat fill their own storage holds as well as the barge.

Plastic collection and sorting process

OCEAN PLASTIC COLLECTION COLLAGES

Open ocean collection collage

West coast assets collage

Beach plastic collection collage

Open ocean plastic collection collage

Building off existing opportunities and assets in coastal communities, a collection process has been outlined. As a result of crashing fish stocks and the outsourcing of Canadian fish processing to China, several closed canneries and fish processing plants have been indefinitely closed. As well, industrial sized fishing boats with carr ying capacity above 100,000 of lbs are highly under utilized on the coast. In addition, many smaller vessels and helicopter-based infrastructure also exist.

BUILDING T YPOLOGY STUDY OF REMOTE COASTAL COMMUNITIES GRAHAM ISLAND, BRITISH COLUMBIA

D. Window Shape: 1. Square (29) 2. Circle (1) 3. Triangle (2)

Constants 1. Sloped Roof 2. Exterior material is in Lengths or Shingles

E. Siding Width 1. 4in - (2) 2. 6in (21) 3. 8in + (7)

Variables A. Siding Material: 1. Cedar (25) 2. Vinyl (4) 3. Steel (1) B. Siding Type: 1. shake/shingle (12) 2. Horizontal bevel (6) 3. Vertical solid cedar / Ship Lap (7) 4. Vertical board and baton (0) 5. Vertical standing seam (1) 6. Horizontal vinyl Dutch lap (4) C. Colours: 1. (1)

2. (8)

3. (16) 4.gr (1)

5. (2)

6. (1)

7. (1)

8. (5)

9. (1)

10. (2)

11. (1)

12. (2)

F. Roof Typology 1. Gable Roof (18) 2. Shed Roof (1) 3. Dormer Roof (2) 4. Gable Roof (2) 5. Hip Roof (1) 6. Cross Gable Roof (4) 7. Clerestory (2) G. Construction Type 1. Timber Frame (5) 2. Haida Longhouse (3) 3. Wood Stud (22)

A1, B3, C2, D1, E3, F1, G2, H2, I2

A1, B3, C3, D1, E3, F1, G2, H2, I2

A1, B3, C3, D3, E3, F1, G2, H2, I2 A1, B1 & B2, C1 & C2, D1, E2, F1, G2, H2, I1

A1, B1, C2, D1, E2, F6, G3, H1, I2

A1, B1, C3 D1, E3, F1, G1, H2, I1

H. Horizontal Lines: 1. Random (1) 2. Equal (29) I. Vertical Lines 1. Random (13) 2. Equal (17)

A1, B1, C3, D1, E3, F1, G3, H1, I2

A1, B1, C3 & C9, D1, E2, F7, G3, H2, I2

Building typology study

T YPOLOGY FINDINGS

Building typology findings

HDPE SAMPLES Large Formate Tiles Low-Density Polyethylene

LDPE ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS WEIGHT: 110G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

Low-Density Polyethylene

LDPE ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS + POWDER WEIGHT: 120G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

Low-Density Polyethylene

LDPE ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS WEIGHT: 130G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

High & Low Density Polyethylene

HDPE & LDPE (50/50) ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS WEIGHT: 110G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

HIGH-Density Polyethylene

HDPE ORIGIN: COLOUR AND CLEAR RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS WEIGHT: 130G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

High-Density Polyethylene

HDPE ORIGIN: BLACK AND CLEAR RECYCLED RESIN POWDER + PELLETS WEIGHT: 130G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

HIGH-Density Polyethylene + Polypropylene HDPE + PP ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS + FLOATABLES WEIGHT: 120G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

HIGH-Density Polyethylene

HDPE ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS WEIGHT: 70G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

Low-Density Polyethylene

LDPE ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS WEIGHT: 70G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

Dozens of samples have been generated using heat molds in a small toaster oven. Plastic’s explored are PET, High and Low Density PE . Through this process different combinations have generated samples that explore the variables of melting these different plastics.

HDPE SHINGLE SAMPLES

Plastic shingle samples

High-Density Polyethylene

HDPE ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS WEIGHT130G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

HIGH-Density Polyethylene

HDPE ORIGIN: BLUE AND BLACK RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS WEIGHT: 130G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

High-Density Polyethylene

HDPE ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS + POWDER WEIGHT: 120G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

High-Density Polyethylene

HDPE ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN POWDER WEIGHT: 130G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

Low-Density Polyethylene

LDPE ORIGIN: RECYCLED RESIN PELLETS + POWDER WEIGHT: 130G TEMPERATURE: 425 OF TIME: 40 MINS

Interesting transparency opportunities have been seen with the HDPE plastics samples as well as opportunities with the integration of other common ocean plastics such as netting or rope. Even the integration of shells that collect on ocean plastic have been tested in samples

PLASTIC SINGLE EXPLORATIONS The digital explorations have explored the parametric variation opportunities that this wall shingle strategy can employ. The width and length of the shingles can be varied as well as the colour and transparency based upon the recycled plastic used or added pigments. One of the goals of the digital exploration was to develop an efficient method of deploying this shingle strategy on any wall surface. This was achieved through the used of the digital tools Rhino and Grasshopper where a script was generated to analyze any surface, cur ved or flat. Exquisite corpse XR development

Early shingle visualization

Early shingle study

VERTICAL FASTENING STRATEGY

Front

Back

HORIZONTAL FASTENING STRATEGY

Side

Front

Front Axo

Back Axo

Back

Side

Back Axo

Front Axo

Back Axo

Side

Vertical fastening physical models and diagram

Iteration A

Iteration B

Fastening strategy options

Vertical fastening physical models and diagram

Iteration C

Iteration D

Iteration E

Iteration F

Iteration G

Iteration H

PARAMETRIC VARIATION: PSEUDO CODE

Shingle pseudo code

SHINGLE WIDTH (AMOUNT OF DIVISIONS ALONG CURVE) 3

SHINGLE LENGTH

The basic pseudo code driving the parametric variation divides the surface into horizontal lines, these lines are then broken up into random or even divisions. The shingle is built from these line divisions into interlocking formations. Variation can then be deployed to this array which var y shingle length, colour and transparency. These parametric variations can be deployed in subtle or extreme extents depending on the design intent.

SHINGLE LENGTH (ATTRACTOR POINT)

Variation options Shingles on curved surface visualization

ELLEN ISLAND SITE MAP / SECTION

Ellen Island site map

Site section

The proposed building is sited on Ellen Island which is a small island in Rosa Harbor at the south end of Haida Gwaii. This island is currently used for Parks Canada Staff accommodation. This structure is intended to perform similarly to a canvas tent , meaning no defined air barrier exists, allowing fresh air to circulate while rain and wind are kept out. 16

This structure respects the land as the foundation of the structure does not contact the forest floor in an attempt create the least amount of environmental disturbance possible. The building can be used as research buildings or private staff accommodation. Shingles and frame can be assembled and dissembled seasonally or moved to separate locations as required.

GWAII HAANAS FOREST STRUCTURE BREAKDOWN

Enclosure: Ridge Cap

Enclosure: Shingles

Secondary Structure: Horizontal Strapping

Side

Front

Top Primary Structure: Plywood Frame

Frame Structure

Secondary Structure: Plywood Floor and Hanging Cable and Hardware

Ellen Island site map

3/16 in

2in 3/8in

1.5in

Axo

Side

Back

Front

Shingle dimensions

RECYCLED OCEAN PLASTIC BUILDING DRAWING SET

Side Elevation

Front elevation

Section 1

Section 2

Desk

2250mm

Bed

3160mm

3965mm

Plan

3840mm

RECYCLED OCEAN PLASTIC SHINGLE FABRICATION PROCESS

Determine HDPE resin colour types and pigment quantities. This process may take a few attempts to achieve the desired results.

Mix together if more than one ingredient.

Set shingle length and width with adaptive mold.

3/16 in

2in 3/8in

1.5in

Add 3.2g of HDPE resin mix per square inch of tile in the adaptive mold. For example, if you shingle is 16in x 10in, you will need to add 512g of resin to the adaptive mold. Once resin is in the adaptive mold, place it in the oven at 350oC for 45 mins. If you are stacking multiple molds, add an extra ten minutes of bake time for each additional mold.

Once complete, bring shingle out of the oven and allow to cool for 5 mins, then place on adaptive surface mold to ensure correct shape is formed. * This step can be avoided if fabricating shingles for flat surface.

Shingle is stamped with itemized sequence to ensure it links with the instruction manual and layout.

Place in crates and bundled based on shingle course group.

RECYCLED OCEAN PLASTIC BUILDING ASSEMBLY INSTRUCTIONS

Assemble plastic brackets on assembled floor panel and ensure floor surface is on a level surface.

Follow step 3 and 4 for the remainder of the strapping members. *Ensure that vertical supports stay level through the strapping process.

Insert vertical plywood supports into bracket slots and fasten with 1.5in fasteners in designated areas on brackets.

Install plastic shingles as per Shingle Installation Instruction Manual.

Beginning at the bottom on the first course, centre strapping members on centre vertical support and fasten in place as per notch in vertical support using 2in fasteners provided.

Install custom plastic roof cap by fastening to plastic shingles below.

Follow the strapping member fastening to all vertical supports at designated notches.

Install custom door by drilling hinges to frame in pre-identified locations.

RECYCLED OCEAN PLASTIC SHINGLE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTION MANUAL

Pull bundles out of crates based on specified horizontal course.

Install shingle from left to right across the wall.

Start on the bottom left side of the wall.

Place shingle groove onto the strapping and drill provided 1”screws into molded shingle holes and drill into strapping.

Move to the next course above once completed.

PHYSICAL ARTIFACT The final artifact was constructed of recycled plastic and recycled building materials. Each shingle was baked using processes perfected over the course of this exploration. Each shingle holds a unique composition of collected plastic debris. The structure allows some light transmission while keeping the space totally private. The interior is reminiscent of a stain glass collage telling stories from the sea and embodying an ethos of ecological repair.

Physical model

Physical model glow

Physical model glow from interior

Photogrammetr y model of physical model

Digital model visualization

PROJECT FINDINGS High grade cedar shakes require old growth Western Red cedar in the Pacific North West. The tight grain cedar produces a stable product that can be used in roof and wall applications. As these material sources dwindle and remaining old growth forests are considered for protection, the plastic shingle offers a weather resilient alternative that does not rot under humid conditions or crack when applied to a cur ved surface.

material characteristics and embodied ethos of ecological repair of the earth’s oceans and indirect preser vation of old growth timber. This plastic embodies its own stor y of decades at sea and each formed object maintains unique characteristics. There is also a direct connection developed between the communities collecting this plastic and utilizing it. This project considers new ways of utilizing bi-products of the Anthropocene and harnessing it in ways that are ecologically regenerative which intern enables This project attempts to shift the paradigm around exterior facade remote communities to continue to thrive. materiality where ocean plastic waste can be diverted from the ocean and landfills and seen as a valuable product because of its

Model visualization

Interior visualization

Physical model

W H AT YO U H AV E B EC O M E Danielle Kim

WHAT YOU HAVE BECOME Danielle Kim

exterior render

physical artifact

WHAT YOU HAVE BECOME speculates on the possibilities of transforming mining wastes into building materials that could be experienced at different scales. Through the waste remediation/ neutralization technologies of carbon mineralization and oxidative leaching, waste rock and tailings transform into a material palette of precious cr ystals and stone composites. The project investigates physical-digital feedback loops by using ‘proxy ’ methods to create these speculative hybrid materials - namely, borax cr ystallization in combination with resin. By procedurally transforming the material’s aesthetic qualities each time it passes from the digital to the physical (or vice versa)

Interior render of future exhibits space

otherwordly and ethereal materials effects are gained that would not be discovered otherwise. By situating a structure made of these familiar yet unfamiliar materials in the midst of the city of Calgar y - a city that privileges extraction industries such as mining and oil & gas above all else - a sense of tension is created in both the aesthetic and political sense. Users will be drawn into this entrancing building masquerading as a museum for future renewable energy and remediation technologies, but will find that they must confront the implications of the extraction industries that have allowed the material to come into existence.

Interior render of lobby space

wall chunk model

displaced soil

waste rock overburden:

the large mass of initial soil and rock that is removed to get the mineral deposits. around five tons of overburden must be displaced to mine a single ton of ore. overburden mining is not subjected to any chemical processes; however, overburden still needs to be removed to reach the mineral ores.

different types of derived from mines

tailings:

finely ground rocks and mineral waste that is a result of mineral processing, containing concentrations of processing chemicals. They are an environmental concern, which is why proper transportation and disposal are crucial. The mine tailings are pumped with slurry pumps into tailing ponds. These are sedimentation holding ponds that are enclosed by dams to capture and store waste.

mine water:

This is produced in different ways at mine sites and has different levels of contamination. Water that is exposed to various mining processes is usually acidic and can contaminate the local water sources.

sludge:

Similar to mine wastewater, but sludge has the additions of solids and processing chemicals. it has very little economic value and can contain harmful or radioactive material.

gangue:

the commercially worthless material that surrounds, or is closely mixed with, a wanted mineral in an ore deposit. it is distinct from overburden, which is the waste rock or materials overlying an ore or mineral body that are displaced during mining without being processed, and from tailings, which is rock already stripped of valuable minerals.

wastes

The gold can then be extracted separately from the toxic elements

Gold Mining waste rock and mine tailings are pulverized to provide more surface area for the reaction

Iron and common salts are added to the tailings sample

The sample is put through a process called oxidative leaching.

oxidative leaching process diagram

The sample is put into a water bath which is gradually raised to sloghtly below the boiling points of different deleterious elements so that these elements may be extracted

Mercury Arsenic

TARGE T M ATE R I A LS FOR E X SI TU CA RB ON M I N E RA LI Z AT I ON

CALCITE Mine tailings

steel slag

waste rock from mining

serpentinite

IN D USTRIA L ALK ALINE L E G A CY WA STE S

basalt

periododite

NATU RA LLY OCCU RIN G M I N E RAL S

ANKERITE

Minerals are extracted from a quarry by drilling, shoveling, and blasting

Legacy wastes could potentially be mineralized at their origin sites with an extension of equipment.

MAGNESITE The materials are ground to a fine dust at the plant to have more surface area to react with CO2

Materials are transported to a plant

DOLOMITE

QUARTZ

The resulting carbonate minerals are well-suited for the following products: The material dust is combined with CO2 bearing water in a large reactor at high pressure and temperature to accelerate the mineralization reactions

aggregate

binders

additives

carbon mineralization process diagram

REMEDIATION TECHNOLOGIES Carbon mineralization is the chemical reaction by which co2 becomes a solid mineral, keeping it from escaping back into the atmosphere. It is a process that already happens naturally when certain rocks in nature are exposed to CO2 , but it can be sped up through technology. The legacy wastes of mining are also candidates for carbon mineralization. These rocks are ground to a fine powder and mixed with carbon bearing water to create the mineralization reaction. The outputs from this procedure are minerals that when processed, can become products like aggregate, binders and other additives. But by reacting wasterock in larger pieces rather than a fine dust , we speculate that we

can also access the output minerals in their unprocessed, “raw carbon” state. Calcite, ankerite, magnesite, dolomite and quartz; all of which have different properties, uses, and forms. There is also still value to be found directly contained in the wastes of mining. The process of oxidative leaching can recover the precious metals contained in mining waste, separating them from harmful substances. It is estimated that there is nearly 10 billion dollars worth of precious metals still contained within mining wastes.

borax cr ystal pigment tests

MATERIAL EXPLORATIONS Borax was used as an emulator for minerals that result from carbon mineralization. Objects were submerged in an oversaturated hot water and borax solution and a thick cr ystal layer would form around them by hour 12 . Cr ystals that did not end up attaching to the substrate would settle at the bottom of the container – new cr ystalline layers would form with each borax bath. This accident opened up a new method of material experiments that eliminated the substrate and allowed for the possibility of casting with cr ystals. 32

“accidental” physical samples

creation of texture maps from physical models

PHYSICAL-DIGITAL FEEDBACK LOOP Taking cues from post digital design, I wished to extract information from my physical samples and bring them into the digital space in order to be able to apply their material effects to digital models. Using methods of photography and photogrammetr y, texture maps were generated to give digital models novel, speculative aesthetics – resulting in composite stone and cr ystal materials to be built with.

creation of texture maps from photogrammetr y texture maps

creation of ‘primitives’ from mining extraction & waste typologies

FORM EXPLORATIONS Using the simple concept of “creating a positive from a negative”, geometric primitives were extracted from the different formal typologies of the mining world. These primitives were then procedurally transformed, creating new decontextualized forms that could be experienced at different scales.

form iterations

test of forms at artifact scale

east elevation

west elevation

The final phase of the research seeks to test this new materiality and its implications at the building scale within the context of the normative city. Situating the project as an object that is alien in its aesthetic, but familiar in terms of the industries that have allowed it to come into an existence will create tension meant to catalyze change. Calgar y ’s downtown core is an index of the extraction industries that have allowed the material of the project to exist. Mining corporations provide the substrate for the material, while the oil and gas industr y provides emissions that are necessar y for the carbon mineralization process. The province’s disproportionate investment in these extraction industries is indicative of the industrial processes that have characterized and accelerated the Anthropocene. The selected site is a void sandwiched between the corporate infrastructure of extraction industries. analysis of corporate infrastructure in downtown Calgar y

site diagram

section

The formal and material language from previous form explorations was manipulated to create a structure that stands tall amongst the normative architecture of downtown Calgar y. Mesmerized by the material effects visible from the exterior, users will enter the building believing they will travel upwards through this ethereal environment , but instead will make their descent underground where they must come to terms with a harsh reality. Exhibits showcasing extraction technologies and their implications must be passed through before the user can move on. the descent

the passage

5. assemble and attach with glue or drilling

1. 3D printable pieces

2. cover with silicone to make molds

4. demold pieces

3. fill with oversaturated borax and hot water solution, let crystallize

4. cover with resin to strengthen

repeat as needed to fill molds

FABRICATION The model was split up into 3D-printable chunks and then covered with silicone to create molds. Using the hybrid technique of borax cr ystallization and resin pouring, the molds will be used to create the parts that emulate the novel materiality explored in this research. 40

creation of hybrid texture map from photogrammetr y texture map

texture derived from photogrammetr y model applied to digital model

photogrammetr y model of wall sample

PROJECT FINDINGS It is a common theme throughout this research, it is not intended that the physical and digital processes used perform perfectly – but their glitches or happy accidents are meant to be co-opted and capitalized upon. The back and forth between the digital and physical dimensions brings forth certain qualities from the previous one into the next , creating novel aesthetics that could not be imagined by us otherwise – bringing new meanings to these processes and the project.

physical artifact

From waste transformation technologies on abandoned mine sites, new material outputs are gained. The melding of physical material testing and the digital space opens new avenues for aesthetics and environments that could not be imagined otherwise. in a world that relies on extracting from the earth, the project aims to change perceptions on what is possible when it comes to the waste we have created, and what it can become.

WA S TE N OT Gordon Ngo

COVER IMAGE

W ASTE NOT Gordon Ngo

Dandora Landfill - Kenya

Secret Life of Landfills 44

Secret Life of Landfills

Baraka

Waste Not aims to grasp the extent of waste production and landfills. Using emerging technologies as a means to create a new sustainable materials known as plasma rock with landfill waste through the process of plasma gasification in hopes to find use for new and old landfills and to curb the current rate of waste production.

project uses extended reality applications to speculate upon how these new materials look , react , and exist in our immediate surrounds.

By creating a collection of furniture and small accessor y products we can envision the potential uses of landfill waste on a small scale viability. The extent of landfills around the world and the Recreating a material such as plasma rock without the required potential materials which we can extract from them poses a equipment of plasma gasification kiln is represented using situation which we must confront the way which we currently mixtures of concrete, faux glass (sugar), and epoxy resin. The create waste and how we treat it.

LANDFILL EXPLORATIONS

Landfill Model 1.01 gelatine wiring pop can glass plastic

Landfill Model 1.02 steel extrusion glass plastic metal dust carbon (Charcoal)

Landfill Model 1.03 (1.01 + 1.02)

Plasma Rock

Landfill Waste

Syngas

Plasma Gasification Process

Waste Processing Technologies Through the Plasma Gassification process conducted in waste to energy treatment plants, all waste streams excluding radioactive waste are able to undergo the process and be converted into a synthetic fuel, and plasma rock — a form of vitrified slag which is formed from the burning of municipal waste streams. While the use of plasma gasification chambers in waste to energy plants are currently limited due to cost of implementation, the potential of the emerging technology as a means of reducing the geographical footprint of traditional landfills while providing a useful material through the process. The output from this process

is a product which can be processed and reconstituted into a variety of alternative material types to replace traditional product and building materials. These new materials can be utilized as substitutive materials to reduce the need for continued extraction from traditional resources such as quarries, ore mines, and silica mines. By utilizing a resource such as plasma rock , the potential of current active and filled landfills as a new resource becomes apparent as the depletion of minerals, and ores is occurring at an expedited pace.

Plasma Rock material composition This is my caption. liquat aut ipis ut voluptatat inciis dolupti coresci issitaeriat. Dolorest aut qui conessunt eos susant volumquam erunder ferovidentem faccus et et aut eossitates es alicto culles rene plibusam faccatectem rectemquo cum quiante nem arciend andipie turepud igenis nistinisque por

Unprocessed Plasma Rock

Variations of Plasma Rock

MATERIAL RESEARCH

80% Salt 10% Glass 10% Plastic Heat

60% Salt 30% Glass 10% Plastic Heat

60% Salt 20% Sand 10% Glass 10% Plastic Heat

60% Salt 40% Glass Heat

Faux Glass

1mm Thickness

3mm Thickness

12mm Thickness

Pulled - 0.5mm Thickness

80% Concrete 10% Faux Glass 10% Tin

80% Concrete 15% Salt 5% Tin

60% Salt 30% Glass 10% Plastic Heat

Plasma Rock Formation Galler y

To better understand landfills and the composition which comprise them, physical maquettes were created to approximate plasma rock and digitized using photogrammetr y to further aid in the design process. These anthropogenic objects are comprised of the organic, electronic and consumerist waste which is overflowing from landfills around the world. How might landfills become a new starting point from which we can begin to replace new raw material extraction with found materials to bring forward a complete resource cycle.

Table created using plasma rock material research

FORM EXPLORATION

Recu

rsive

inter

sec ti

D ons

Plasma Rock Formation Matrix

Galler y of Anthropocenic Plasma Rock Formations 50

s en

it y

AR App Development

EXTENDED REALIT Y Extended reality is utilized to better understand the material language of the physical explorations in real space and time. Allowing for the utility to quickly place, scale and position objects in space will allow for further exploration and iteration ability in real time. The visualization of digital objects in physical space creates the opportunity to understand material, form and colour in reaction to the surroundings we are designing for.

Proposed Development and deployment of AR Application

2.75

6.90

18.00

Shelf Construction Drawings

Mold Making with Silicone Caulking and Soapy Water

FABRICATION

Using digital fabrication such as CNC and FDM 3D printing to produce the initial forms. using these forms, silicone caulking is used to create a negative mold to allow for the replicated materials to be poured to mimic the application of the plasma rock material.

Shelf Silicone Mold

3.00

2.33

3.00

6.00

1.43

Bookend Construction Drawings

Faux Glass Production

Bookend Silicone Mold

Final Artifact — Shelf and Bookend

Bookend Version 1 54

Bookend Version 2

Bookend Version 3

PROJECT FINDINGS The ability of extended reality and post digital processes allow for us to interact with materials, objects and designs before productions of physical objects. Utilizing the means to interact and manipulate these objects allows for quick iterations as you move between the physical and digital realms which these objects are being developed within.

Final AR Application

While traditional methods of design have been limited to either the physical or the digital realm, extended reality allows for the capability for design and objects to simultaneously be designed, and interacted with in both the physical realm through digital means of augmented reality. Landfills exist as a remnant of the anthropocene — a legacy from which we discard the objects no longer useful to us. Through new emerging technologies such as plasma gasification, we unlock methods to begin extraction of new novel materials from what we once consider waste products with no use. This research is conducted in hopes to change the perception of waste and how it is treated on a global scale. The possibility to minimize and potentially eliminate traditional resource extraction from the natural world can instead change course and be found within the landfills of the anthropocene.

Final AR Application

AF R OFU T U R I S M A N D E LEC T R O N I C WA S T E I N TH E AG E OF T H E A N T H RO P O C E N E Ugonna Ohakim

COVER IMAGE

Exquisite Corpse

AFROFUTURISM AND ELECTRONIC WASTE IN THE AGE OF THE ANTHROPOCENE Ugonna Ohakim

tower details

e-waste tower elevation

tower details

This project aims to challenge the racial and human blindness of the Anthropocene, and direct attention towards current day forms of racial injustice with the importation of end-of-life electronic waste back into the African landscapes as a result of this new human epoch. The Anthropocene has largely been misrepresented as a unit of time where human activity has started to have immense impact on the planet’s ecosystems. Several notable events labeled as potential catalysts to this era have been accelerated human industrial production due to the rising human population, the use of the first atomic bomb, the invention of the steam engine or the Partial Nuclear Test Ban Treaty in 1963, However,

this obsession with the scientific and the ‘material’ has led to the neglect of the human-human impact of the Anthropocene, particularly the implications on black and brown bodies. From slaves forced to work in mines extracting coal, gold, silver and iron, to the movement of people as material from one place to another, to the testing of nuclear weapons in colonial territories, it could be argued that black and brown communities have faced the biggest impact of this new era. Race is the foundation of this new planetary world space and its geological systems of governance that become evident in practices of White geology or the Anthropocene.

aggregation components - design aggregations were made from digitally recreated electronic wastes

artifact, front view

artifact, perspective view

tower details

e-waste tower perspective

tower details

initial material studies, clay + electronics

artifact, initial chair studies

artifact, initial chair studies material test

e-waste dimensions game - to facilitate public awareness on the creativity that could be generated from these end-of-life electronic waste, a game was created.

By creating new forms of object oriented ontologies using these termed ‘electronic wastes’, this research aims to criticize the wasteful and primitive nature of the west. The aim is to empower people who find themselves surrounded by these objects, to think of it in a different light , and understand the inability of these exporting ‘developed’ countries to make sense of these objects further, and their own personal ability to create more from them. By creating a game which is easy to understand and available to the public, the architect ’s tools of creation are dismantled and dispersed, removing the architect as god-mode creator and imbibing the public with a 62

e-waste dimensions game extract

electronic waste flow

electronic waste content

artifact, initial section

artifact, clay material test

aggregation gradient chart

generative artifact structure (iterations) - with the aid of topology optimisation algorithm

Structure

Skin

Aggregation

artifact, exploded axonometric

The fabrication stage studied the generation of a tectonic logic for the artifact. Using the conventional architecture building logic as a precedent , the artifact was divided into structure, skin and cladding components. With the aid of Topology Optimization Algorithms, numerous structural iterations were created based on the original artifact. These iterations were as a result of the desired load values and locations on the artifact. The selected structure was a more refined mesh, fits perfectly within the artifact , structurally viable without any thin parts and aesthetically refined than the rest. artifact, fabrication working drawings

physical fabrication

e-waste dimensions fabrication edition

PROJECT FINDINGS These iterations were as a result of the desired load values and locations on the artifact. The selected structure was a more refined mesh, fits perfectly within the artifact , structurally viable without any thin parts and aesthetically refined than the rest. The physical fabrication focused exclusively on the structural component with a part of it clad in gathered electronic waste from junkyards. The structure was milled out of foam, sanded down to the desired sculpture and covered in plaster to give it a unified look . Accompanying the physical fabrication is a specifically tailored E Waste Dimensions game edition that allows the viewers to clad the structure in digital space and potentially also clad the other half of the structure physically. Design is now post-digital, which must combine elements of the physical and the digital into an ongoing exchange and dialogue in other to discover what we cannot envision without the digital and what

we cannot experience without the physical or reverse. The vast availability of this waste resource creates an opportunity for its application on a city scale, from small chairs all the way to hyper tall skyscraper. The age of the Anthropocene and its racial blindness is not behind us, the reimportation of previously violently extracted resources like copper and cobalt , in the form of endof-life electronic waste is a present day example. These wastes when inappropriately burnt by the people living in those areas or future soil degradation can lead to long term heath benefits of the indigenes. Agbogbloshie , Ghana, one of the world’s largest electronic waste landfill has turned from a lush community with clean waterways, to a black smoke filled polluted land due to the wastes. This project cannot solve this phenomenon, but hope to generate an increasing market of reuse for these electronics, both creatively, economically or socially. 65

AN A LTE R N AT E FU T U R E Anagha Patil

‘IF WE HAD NOT GROWN UP IN A SOCIET Y DIVIDED BY GENDER, COULD MUCH OF THE SUFFERING HAD BE AVOIDED?’

THE ALTERNATE FUTURE Anagha Patil

EXQUISITE CORPSE

This research explores the gender inequality in the existing Anthropocene epoch and envisions an alternate interstellar planet based in future, and attempts to pose a challenge to perceive a world where we lived in a parallel post patriarchal reality. The catastrophic events in the past forced the humankind to explore planetar y relocation, where the humans end eavored to create a new sustainable planet , by cleaning up their anthroprocenic

waste from even beyond the earth’s atmosphere. This artificially built planet answers the long-asked questions of an alternative world where the man is not at the peak of all societal systems and the former exclusions of the earth, women are the one in the forefront , leading a celestial world. This new world reveals us the reclamation and rewriting of the societal systems by reversing the patriarchal system.

MATERIAL EXPLORATION

EXQUISITE CORPSE

INITIAL PATTERN EXPLORATIONS

The artefact here, is an envision of the gender neutralizing mask of the new planet , that is the first step towards breaking the gender bias and promoting equity. These masks are customized for ever y individual and designed by determining their face contours and generating the mask topography out of it. The layout of these patterns provisions the application of different materials as they can be overlayed with different layers.

4 PATTERN GENERATION

INITIAL MATERIAL EXPLORATIONS

PATTERN GROWTH

4 PATTERN GROWTH

MASK T YPOLOGIES

Several iterations of the mask were explored on the defined pattern logic by adding realms of ornamentation and intricacy. The mask designed here intends to enhance human senses and provide for a valuable gadget in outer space.

MASK FUNCTIONS

MASK T YPOLOGIES

MASK RENDER

AUGMENTED REALIT Y EXPLORATION

The generated designs were manifested in augmented reality to test their design feasibility and appearance. Link: https://www.instagram.com/ar/366066654745094 https://www.instagram.com/ar/802834117021008

3D PRINTED MASK

CROWN

SKELETON

AUDITORY RECEPTORS

MUSCULAR SYSTEM

FRONTALIS

VISION ENHANCER

OXYGEN RECEPTORS

COLLAR

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

MASK LAYERS AND STRUCTURE

The points were generated and divided based on facial contours, which determined the division strategy of the mask . The artefact here is a depiction of human anatomy, where each component represents a part of human face structure. The analogy was then deployed in the fabrication process, and parts of the mask were divided and fabricated based off that.

PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL ARTEFACT

INITIAL FABRICATED ARTEFACT

MUSCULAR SYSTEM WELDING WIRE TO CREATE SECONDARY PAT TERN

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM WELDING WIRE TO CREATE PATTERN

SKELETON BENDING ALUMINUM WIRE USING THE BASE

BASE CNC MILLED

FABRICATION DIAGRAM

EXPECTED FABRICATION OUTCOME

A base was prepared by CNC milling the surface form with MDF 18 gauge galvanized steel wire was braided to attain strength and flexibility and then bent aligning it with the base to prepare the framing. These wires were then welded together for structuring. Pieces of (16 gauge) steel rods were prepared, then welded together to create the first layer of patten. Copper coated steel rods were welded to add the second layer of pattern around the neck and Crown area.

FABRICATION DIAGRAM

MASK FABRICATION

MASK FABRICATION PROCESS

COLUMN DESIGN

SKELETON

CIRCULATORY SYSTEM

MUSCULAR SYSTEM

The patterns and strategies can be further designed and scaled up to create different architectural components.

COLUMN DESIGN

COLUMN FABRICATION

FINAL EXHIBIT

FINAL EXHIBIT CLOSEUPS

The carried material and fabrication explorations can be further utilized to develop the crucial elements of the new planet while catering to idea of an alternate future.

TH E U N EQ UA L H U MAN AG E NC Y, I M PAC TS , A N D VU LN E R A B I LI TI E S OF T H E A N T H RO P O C E N E Lealyn San Juan

COVER IMAGE

Dwelling/ Transportation Pod Render

THE UNEQUAL HUMAN AGENCY OF THE ANTHROPOCENE Lealyn San Juan

Universal distribution of needs

A system of distribution driven by logistics

This research aims to address the unequal human agency, impacts, and vulnerabilities of the Anthropocene. The natural resource is a key input in the production process that stimulates economic growth. The search for untapped natural resources urged nations to become fearless explorers of the world. Pioneers developed a worldview of racial superiority, which led them to achieve militar y and economic conquest , resulting in transatlantic slaver y and colonialism.

obstacles to development. The ongoing legacy of colonialism, slaver y, and resource extraction shaped the unequal distribution of resources, opportunities, and privileges among nations.

System section showing transport modules

Street propagation of the system

The first step is to recognize that inequality itself is a human invention. Which suggests that we can also design a future society structured within the principles of equality. Asking questions such as: How to utilize advanced technologies for the design and fabrication of an equal society? What new methodologies can be Even after independence, colonies were stuck with the colonial used to mass distribute privilege? What can we speculate about trade paradigm. Post-colonial nations have fallen behind the this new society, its operation, systems, and infrastructures? rest of world economies, facing social, political, and economic

Dwelling/ transport pod

Anthropocenic consequences portrayed through Pandoras Box

Suppose the future consists of a world where all needs and commodities are universally distributed through a connected, digital and sustainable infrastructure—a decentralized system of maintenance, trade, and information through the groundwork of transparency and accountability—a design for billions of people in realtime, at scale, and on-demand. To further explore this concept , a loose framework and methodologies were conducted: Component Design, Algorithm/ Simulations, Study Focus Selection, Physical Exploration, Photogrammetr y, Digital Iterations, and Digital Assembly. 84

Exquisite Corpse: Calgar y Peace Bridge

Component Design Algorithm/ Simulations

Digital Assembly

Physical Explorations

Photogrammetr y + Digital Iterations

COMPONENT DESIGN

ALGORITHM/ SIMULATIONS

STUDY FOCUS SELECTION

PHYSICAL EXPLORATION

PHOTOGRAMMETRY

DIGITAL ITERATIONS

DIGITAL ASSEMBLY

Exquisite Corpse: Calgar y Downtown

Exquisite Corpse: Interior Space

Utopian and optimistic version of the system

Bleach [24 hr Soak]

Nickel

Zinc

Copper

Nickel

Zinc

Copper

= Patina Solutions

Colour palette and material exploration

Container Corten Steel

Pipe/ Tube Glass

Magnets Iron

Generators Powder Coated Aluminum

Pipe/ Tube Rough Glass

Bolts/ Frame Galvanised Steel

Dwelling Pods Vibranium Carbon Fibre Composite

To further develop the research, post digital design were exhibited. The physical exploration evolved through material palette testing and analysis to bring out the desired tone, experience, and aesthetic of the artifact Anthropocenic materials such as Nickel, Zinc, and Copper were exposed to various solutions to achieve chemical reaction or patina effect that enhance its tonal properties. Material exploration was also conducted in the digital space to start exhibiting a Utopian, optimistic, and playful aesthetic. Several precedents that presents the desired aesthetic were analyzed to determine which features could be applied to the project. In addition, the overall form were updated to reflect the findings of the previous activities.

Conductor Copper

Model Making Fabrication and Procedures

To achieve the surface finish of the final physical output , a plug and mold fabrication technique was conducted. The base form is divided in half for both sides of the structure to be molded using a positive plug. The positive plug is made of rigid foam, CNC ’d, primed, sanded, and coated with Epsilon to achieve a smooth, strong, and sealed finish. To begin the mold making process, a mold release is applied followed by several layers of epsilon and lightweight woven fabric until the desired thickness is achieved, forming a semi-rigid plastic skin once completely dried. After the base form is completed, the rest of the components is attached, and is coated by one solid color to highlight form and function without the distraction of any colours. Final Model Output: Plug and mold fabrication technique

Final Model Output: 3D printed

Another model is also explored by extracting a chunk from the overall design and breaking it down into each individual components, it is then 3D printed and reassembled into the physical realm. 3D Print Individual Elements

Render: Interior and exterior viewpoints

Render: Transportation Modules and Utilities

Render: Elevator Shaft Interior

The semester long research, representation, and exploration has generated a vision for the future cities to utilize a system that equally distribute its needs. Not relying on capitalist pursuits but is driven by the logistics of its people, facilities and supplies. Fabrication and materiality defines critical aspects concerning the governance and engagement of built form into the physical environment. The materials, tectonic, and assemblies of this project ser ve as a language that articulate vision into a tangible one. Ultimately, this studio research demonstrates materials no longer as a secondar y consideration to design but as an important element due to advances in digital fabrication and technology. Render: Scale Demonstration

Render: System Propagation in Downtown Calgar y

Fologram: Calgar y Downtown

Fologram: Exhibition Space

UNSEAN Zainab Saif Ahmad

Unsean: Human epoch in the ocean.

While humankind is engrossed in fighting its own battle of hybrid material germinated out of it. This study investigates capitalism and technological advancement , there is an entire the diverse physical and aesthetic properties of the naturally habitat that has suffered without even volunteering for it. occurring minerals of the ocean and human-induced materials. Unsean is a research that aims to unravel the various impacts of These materials can be deployed in combination with digital the human epoch on the ocean and envisage its consequence fabrication techniques to create an architecture that exists in on the planet in the future, documenting the techno-fossils and synergy with the existing inhabitants of the ecosystem. 94

Plastic Disposal Nuclear Explosions

Canned food and beverage containers Jutes and ropes

Healthcare PPE

Plastic Bags Disposable cups

900 years 800 years 700 years 600 years

Time taken

1000 years

for the marine ecosystem to regenrate

Municipal Waste Glass composites

Oil Spill

300 years

of o

ccu

ran

200 years 100 years

Fishing nets and gadgets

Medical chemicals

Construction waste

Ship/ Aircraft Wrecks

Plastic Disposal Agricultural Disposal Surface runoff/ Municipal river Waste discharge Over-fishing

Pebbles

Medical disposal

Oil Spill

Sand Nylon ropes and strings

Electronic circuits and batteries

400 years uen

Plastic Bottles

Plastic containers and toys

Oil Drill

500 years

Fre q

Clay

Glass bottles

Metal scraps

Ship/ aricraft Wrecks Water transport

Oil Drilling

Nuclear Explosions Deep sea Mining

Plastic straws

och

Mercury

f ep

rit eve

Corals

Rocks

The impact of human induced disasters on the ocean mapped along its frequency of occurrence and time taken for its disintegration to guesstimate potential the fossils of the future.

Shipwreck and Air crash junk Minerals

Metal containers

Oil Particles

Industrial Chemicals

Fertilizers and Pesticides

The constituent materials mapped along the quantity into the ocean and recyclability and underlaid with the existing element of the ocean provide a vision of the elements of techno fossils. .

Ocean research documenting the realms of the ocean, its ecosystem and extent of human intrusion.

Can the espousal of the human epoch at the intersection of technology lead towards a more informed future?

Material research and sampling The principal mineral resources present in the ocean are abundantly used and harnessed from land mines and coastal areas, and now deep-sea mines for construction and other commercial purposes. In addition to the naturally occurring materials of the ocean, the human intrusion has introduced several polymers, alloys, and treated metals that have been dumped into the ocean. These material were sampled to generate a material composition that is derived from the industr y-approved materials whose compositions are dissected and replaced with ocean resources or human-generated discards. The resultant samples were tested on the following properties: curing time, physical strength, and presence of cracks. The most successful ones were recorded for artifact testing. 96

80 percent of ocean minerals is salt, constituting 3% of water

Naturally-occurring

Human Intrusion

Salt

Shipwrecks and Air crash

Potassium

Ocean acidification

Magnesium

Dumped waste

Sand and Gravel

Surface runoff

Limestone and Gypsum

Construction Waste

Manganese

Medical Waste

Phosphorites

Overfishing

Metal Deposits Associated with Volcanism and Seafloor Vents.

Ocean Sprawling

Placer Gold, Tin, Titanium, and Diamonds. Marine Clay Water. Material research: The constituents of the proposed marine techno fossils.

Constitutes more that 70 percent of marine pollution.

Material Sample 1: Clay + Calcium carbonate (seashells (5-15%) + limestone powder) + Metal scraps (aluminum dust) +water+ resin

Material Sample 2: Jesmonite + Calcium carbonate (seashells (5-15%) + limestone powder) + Metal scraps (aluminum dust) +water+ resin

Shipwrecks: Proposed interventions

This research proposes additional inter ventions in the strategy laid during the Nairobi convention to identif y the shipwrecks that can be regenerated based on their structural analysis. The structurally fit ships can be given surface treatment and provided with a second life. The second set of material samples were investigated for adaptive reuse of shipwreck , air crashes, and other marine disasters as the infrastructure of the future.

Salt crystals tend to have high strength and can be layered over any surface to the desired intensity in controlled electrochemical processes. Salt crystallization can be implemented as a coating material during adaptive reuse to prevent further erosion of metals. By the self-sustaining structure, these crystals would provide additional strength to the eroded metals aiding in preserving the geometry of the ship and airplanes.

The samples were further tested for their malleability during the casting of organic and contoured surfaces.

Minimal surfaces were explored as the architecture of the new ecosystem. These are triply periodic surfaces, evaluated out of a mathematical equation. The surfaces created are continuous and display nuanced structural stability that can withstand the turbulence of waves and tides.

FABRICATION The research proposes underwater 3d printing, as the main fabrication technique. The underwater 3D printing robots can be used to print the sampled materials. The presence of resin holds the mixture to prevent washing out of materials during printing.

Fabrication strategy and materiality diagram

The object developed for fabrication is an art work constituting of a concrete minimal surface object , and a welded steel plinth. The object fabrication informed the design process by providing a more nuanced understanding of the spaces that can be generated out of these surfaces. A 3d printed formwork is used as a skeleton and seashell concrete is layered above it. The deployment of gyroid minimal surface aids the printing process, as the geometr y provides high strength for internal structures with speed and ease of printing. 99

Fabrication strategy for minimal surface

Photo: Fabricated surface

Photo: Final object

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Concept section collage

DESIGN PROPOSAL The architecture system designed here comprises a largescale underwater research center and coral reforestation cell. These centers are perceived as small-scale colonies that act like ‘architectural ecologies’, whole cities unto themselves—complete with residential, agricultural, entertainment , and other districts. This hypothetical site is perceived to be located at a depth of 750m under. The site constituted of a ship that was structurally analyzed and refurbished. The structurally stable portions of the ship have been preser ved while new architecture is aggregated around it. The deployed Gyroid provides a modular geometry, such that newer modules can be added with time as the research center grows and develops. On-site fabrication strategy: Underwater 3D printing

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View: Underwater research center- refurbished ship interiors

View: Novel architecture created from minimal surfaces

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Minimal surfaces transformed into coral reforestation reef. The surface acts as the interface between the existing marine ecosystem and the post-anthropogenic inhabitants.

PROJECT FINDINGS These surfaces demonstrate opportunities for structurally viable spatial qualities that can define the aesthetics of the new ecosystem, as they translate from older infrastructure to the novel spaces. The surface terrains of the minimal surface constitute contours and cur ves that resemble the cur vatures of coral reefs and can provide a strong base for corals to grow, transforming the façade into a manipulated architectural skin. This plays a significant role as a foundation for the coral to settle down and to facilitate accelerated growth. It is ultimately imagined that the entire skin will become a reef structure, establishing an underwater city for marine life alongside humans.

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PU NJA B I FU T U R I S M Mehakpreet Sidhu

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COVER IMAGE

105

PUNJABI FUTURISM Mehakpreet Sidhu As the Anthropocene continues to impact more of the planet , many scholars are now re-examining the meaning of the Anthropocene and argue that this era should be understood as a sociogenic phenomena, emerging from particular social relations and an uneven distribution of power between different nations, social groups and species. Anthropogenic effect such as colonialism, environmental and economic exploitation have and continue to oppress many cultures and societies around the world. Such oppression is highly prevalent in the culture of Punjab throughout histor y. This research aims to view the Anthropocene as a political and socio-economic symptom of global injustices in Punjab through the lens of a futuristic narrative.

Punjab has long tolerated the brunt of bigotr y and hate from the period of the Mughal empire to the dismantling of the Sikh empire at the hands of the British colonial rule to then being caught In the whirlwind of power and politics as Punjab suffered more grievously than anywhere else during the 1947 patriation. Punjab was subjugated to suffering in the 1984 Sikh genocide where militar y assault and communal violence at the hands of government massacred thousands. In the evoke of this anthropogenic movement it brings forth a bigger question of how will this community going to revive themselves? how would this culture, that has suffered great trauma at the hands of religious and government officials be re-imagined in the future?

Map of Punjab showcasing the oppression over time in Punjab.

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Future of Punjab collage.

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The materiality of the project came from investigating the traditional metal craft practiced in Punjab dating many centuries back , to the Sikh kingdom. This regional metal craft was utilized to make several products such as utensils, weapons, ornaments and was even used to create the Sikh coins for the kingdom. The main metals used in the process are copper, brass and bronze.

The properties of these soft metals were used to car ve intricate details and patterns into each piece and choosing these materials aims to revive the metal craftmanship of Punjab. Multiple material samples were created to test the interaction between different metals by exploring various processes like pouring both metals together as well as a hydro-dipping.

Material List

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Material Sampling

109

The project started with exploring and creating a design language for futuristic Punjab that explored the forms and shapes of the existing culture. Many cultural and religious adornment items were selected and abstracted to create a set of design shapes. These shapes were then combined with one another to create small scale figures of the design language

These figures were then subjected to a series of operations to derive new set of abstract profiles. The generated charts show the progression and operations being applied to the single set of shapes to create culturally driven new patterns and forms. The selection of the new design language was based on the how well they performed aesthetically as well as their connection back to the cultural language.

CULTURAL SHAPES

ABSTRACTED SHAPES

SHAPE COMBINATIONS 110

New frormed patterns

111

SELECTED DESIGNS

AR INTERFACE

112

Fabricated Artefacts

The design language was then tested and created various arm cuffs with the materiality and selected forms. The hence generated artefact designs were explored to enhance their aesthetic performance whilst upholding its connection to the culture’s values and visual language. The most successful ones were those that were catering to both culture and aesthetics alongside adaptability for multiple uses.

Metals such as Copper, Brass, and Bronze were experimented with for their ductile and malleable properties to produce the intricate forms of the design. These artefacts were studied for their material properties by developing physical samples, testing the connectional details for patterns and different metals. The material sampling carried henceforth informed the tectonics of the artefact. 113

Reserach into Sikh Architecture Collage

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Reserach into Sikh Architecture Collage

CASE STUDY DESIGN Taking the design further, the design language was experimented by utilizing it on architecture of a futuristic gurdwara, which is worship place for the Sikh community. The main design hinges on the idea of bringing people together and projecting these ideologies into the future. The design process of the temple started with investigating the architectural programing and spatial planning of a typical temple complex . Additionally, the typical architecture elements of Sikh architecture were isolated and implemented in the design.

This futuristic temple is designed to act as a beacon of hope for the community both, figuratively as well as visually, currently the design of temple complexes features a horizontal spatial planning that extends over hundreds of acres of land. The new design aims to place these spaces vertically to create opportunity for new programs to occur as well as give the temple a height that indicates its presence from a distance.

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The boundaries of the temple are extended to blur the threshold and create a place for civic gathering as well as empowerment. The interior of the building offers vast and intimate spaces for both a sense of wonder and place for contemplation. Alongside the design language being used as ornamentation as part of the future temple, the design language was altered and also used in the functional aspect of the building such as the arch, dome and the column. the design language also acts as the envelope of the building spaces in the design.

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The programming of the future temple includes various spaces such as residential complex , agricultural spaces, and emergency shelters and food storages. Over the years, Punjab has witnessed several instances of oppression and violence, where government enforced rules and curfew that led people to find temporar y abodes within the premises of Sikh temples. This prototype civic space can be located across the province and beyond that celebrates the community ’s principles whilst shielding them at times of subjugation.

Axonometric of futuristic temple design.

Form explorations

Section of futuristic temple design.

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Section of futuristic temple design.

Alongside the design language being used as ornamentation as part of the future temple, the design language was altered and also used in the functional aspect of the building such as the arch, dome and the column. the design language also acts as the envelope of the building spaces in the design. The entrance dome that utilizes the design language on the ceiling creates a space of wonder and curiosity. The grandeur of the space signifies the wonder of the temple as well as allow for light to enter the space. Fabrication Diagram

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View of future of Punjab Collage

Dome Render

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Exploded Section of Fabrication Piece.

FABRICATION The fabrication process of the project took a portion of the column present in the entrance dome and detailed the tectonics by showcasing the transition of the metal column to the marble base. The metal strips were laser cut and bend in accordance to the shape of the design language and embedded in the concrete. The metal strips were plated with copper and brass metal with hydro-dripping as a tool to create. 120

Fabrication Process.

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Physical artefact

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GALLERY SETUP

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H YB R I D A LG A E Lilian Wang Huang

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HYBRID ALGAE Lilian Wang Huang

final physical outcome

digital object design

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final physical outcome

final physical outcome - night view

Over the decades, human centered activities have changed our landscapes. Today we see a rapid increase in global warming and climate change. The exponential increase of people migrating to and living in large urban centers require a higher demand for natural resources and processed goods. The worlds population is predicted to reach 10 billion by 2050, in order to sustain this and allow a better quality of life, humans have optimized their ways of producing and living in many ways. Algal blooms have occurred more often in recent years due to the increase of nutrient pollutions in our waters. As other plants,

fologram plug-in from Rhino for an AR experience

virtual experience

algae’s photosynthetic qualities are advantageous in providing oxygen to the living organisms in the water, however, in excess, it becomes detrimental to human health. This material and research studio focuses on extracting this algae, mutating and combining it with other materials in order to create hybrid combinations and blur the boundaries between the natural and the man-made; whilst shifting the discourse of design across scales and applications to bring a more resilient future.

LED light shadow play

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exquisite corpse

In places like Uruguay, intensive animal and agricultural farming produce excess of nutrients that enters the water, producing algal growth on the surface. This blocks the sunlight from entering the pond, depleting the oxygen and killing all living organisms. Toxins are secreted and bacteria act as nutrients for more algal blooms. This produces a positive feedback loop, hence its important to remove the excess of algae to keep the ecosystem. Recognizing that algae is the ancestor of all plants on earth and that it is a resilient species, perhaps the future holds a resilient lifestyle for humans, where live a balanced lifestyle with our ecosystem. 128

eutrophication process

algae bloom cases

algal bloom predictions

INDUSTRIALIZED AGRICULTURE SHIFTING CULTIVATION PLANTATION AGRICULTURE NOMADIC HERDING INTENSIVE TRADITIONAL AGRICULTURE NO AGRICULTURE

total number of algal bloom cases recorded according to (HAEDAT)

types of agriculture

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exquisite corpse

photogrammetry outcome on physical experimentation

Algal bloom cases have been increasing at an exponential rate. As more and more agricultural activities take place across the globe, algal blooms cases are expected to keep rising. As algal bloom cases keep rising, it will eventually cause intoxication and acute consequences on human health. Material explorations were done with different forms of algae and hybrid combinations were formed for different structural and aesthetic qualities.

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algae in its different states / hydration, coloring and drying of algae

material composites

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material composite: algae and resin

material composite: filamentous algae and plaster

Further material explorations were done with filamentous algae. The algae’s strong filaments allowed an opportunity to weave a lattice structure, which permitted an overall stronger form and more flexible shapes to begin to take place as it was set onto a mold and taken into the oven to speed the process of dr ying. This process proved that not only it is a good method for a shape to take form but its structure starts to mimic the reinforcement materials that the construction industr y uses to reinforce concrete, to a certain extent. algae board created through compression

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material composites

filamentous algae lattice

place lattice in mold

compress in mold

dried in oven

trim to shape

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COMPOSITION

SEAWEED WATER CONCRETE once

PROPERTIES

DIAMETER WEIGHT DEFORMATION

TIME TO DRY

day 1

58mm 100g (2days)

material composite: algae and concrete

Hybrid Algae. Because algae is naturally flexible, a study was done using the flexibility of the algae with the stiffness of another material.

CLAY

+ doesn’t shrink / crack + versatile + durable

COMPOSITION FILAMENTOUS ALGAE PLASTER PROPERTIES DRY TIME FRAGILITY HARDNESS

- fragile - not suitable in moist environments

85% 15% day 1 24h

day 3 24h

material composite: algae and plaster

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Combining the filamentous algae with structural materials such as concrete and plaster, different aesthetic, structural and tectonic qualities begin to rise. Outcomes: plaster releases water when cr ystallizing so it deformed the algae form in the process. Concrete absorbs moisture and quick , hence it produced a lightweight hygroscopic result.

individual strands lattice

criss-cross, truss and triangular typologies

Digital exploration of lattices. Following the physical experiment , digital tools were used to create a study of lattice patterns. Tools such as rhino, grasshopper, weaverbird and kangaroo physics are just a few examples. These patterns were then placed on vases. The forms of the vases were driven by the technique exploration carried out earlier.

vase designs

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elevation view - physical object design

Following the digital and physical explorations, a vase was designed using the braiding technique combined with concrete coating, in order to give it a more sturdy finish. Different algae strand thickness were experimented to understand which one would be more suitable for the scale and weight of the object designed. The layers of coated concrete also looked at creating a droopy effect on the end strands of the vase for an added visual and aesthetic effect.

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top view / lattice + concrete layer details

filaments of algae

braiding of algae filament

strand thickness experimentation

layers of concrete applied

weaved base using algae braided strands

physical object design

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exquisite corpse

Based from a series of exquisite corpse that explored surrealism, a virtual reality scene was developed. Surrealism is an ideal form of art to change the perspective of reality, and algae is usually perceived as something unpleasing and repulsive to touch and smell. However, by placing and integrating the final product within the surreal landscape, the algae braided forms will begin to diverge the viewers preconception and show its potential beauty and structural integrity as a hybrid material. 138

360 virtual reality landscape

material aging

BLEACH

experimenting with colorization

FABRIC DYE / FOOD COLORING

experimenting material composites with colorization & braid types

paverpol coating + latex based paint

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physical technique exploration - from physical, to digital, to physical

Taking Ruth Asawa’s sculptures as a departure point , part of the object was modeled into Rhino. After lofting the shape, information was extracted from the digital space and the size of the cross sectional cur ves were extracted in order to create a mold with card boxes. By layering the card boxes, a frame was created, and seaweed strands were lofted across the frame. This is a successful method as it would subsequently allow infinite shapes and forms to be created with algae.

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lofting technique, mesh edges, physical experimentation

modeled in Rhino rendered in Blender

physical outcome

SQUARE KNOT

exploring macramé knotting technique as a tectonic design decision

digital conversion

DOUBLE SQUARE KNOT

SPIRAL

ALTERNATING HALF HITCH KNOTS

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264cm

150cm 65cm

final object design

interior and exterior layers

The final object chosen to explore is a pendant lamp, with exterior and interior layers to it , to add a visual depth through the overlap of lattices and allowing interesting shadows to start playing out when the interior led lights seep through. Its large size also provides a good opportunity to create a material density effect and allow different lighting qualities: from a more dense lattice and aluminum coating at the top to a more transparent and flowing bottom. Structurally, the pendant lamp is held at the top with aircraft cables, and using metal structures where LED lights are incorporated within them. 142

AIRCRAFT CABLE diagram of elements

METAL STRUCTURE

LED STRIP LIGHTS

DOUBLE SQUARE KNOT

SPIRAL

SQUARE KNOT

HALF HITCH KNOTS

for the tectonic connections, different types of macrame knots were used

fologram plug-in from Rhino for an AR experience

exquisite corpse of exhibition

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top of the pendant: a more solid lattice coated in recycled aluminum dust coating

To create the material density desired, the top tighter lattice structure was coated with paverpol glue and recycled aluminum dust. This allowed a dense appearance that would create reflections when light seeped through the pores as well as an overall stronger structure that would hold the rest of the lower structure. The open lattice at the bottom created an opportunity for interesting shadows patterns to start intersecting.

bottom of the pendant: a more transparent and open lattice, that allows a play of shadow and light

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final exhibition

final physical outcome - night view

PROJECT FINDINGS As algal blooms occur more often in the upcoming years and decades, we are faced with an environmental issue which is detrimental to all the living beings. Although it is traditionally seen as a rejected material of the anthropocene, this research has shown its potential not only as an aesthetic material but also as a structural one. This brings up hypothetical questions around the context of architecture and the built environment , as these algal filaments could start to replace our traditional harmful reinforcement materials used in construction, or perhaps even used as a cladding material.

In the Anthropocene era, humans have invaded our natural ecosystems and challenged with the perfect balance it once had. Architecture and design has the capacity to aid this issue. Within the context of this material research and exploration studio, I’ve had the opportunity to explore and see the numerous possibilities of algae as a hybrid material, by capturing a natural resource in excess whilst aiding the ecosystem from which its extracted. This opens new doors as we start to optimize the relationship between the natural and our living conditions.

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TH U N DE R B I R D Zachar y Ward

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ACTIVE MATTER Zachar y Ward

“ The whole is greater than the sum of its parts is no truer than in the field of active matter.” - Skylar Tibbits

Abstract collage depicting self-assembly of “smart materials.”

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF ACTIVE MATTER

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Material Composition

Activation Energy

to program materials, we combine one or more active material components that are organized to support a particular type of transformation.

the input needed to trigger the transformation of the programmed material composition. Energy can be used to instigate a reversible change or a non-reversible one.

Transformation Mechanics a specific combination of materials and a specific amount of energy are required to produce a precise transformation. The material undertakes a new behaviour after being subjected to input energy.

The Anthropocene Anthropocene isisa aterm term that that describes describes the the newnew era ofera geoof geological logical formation. formation. The Earth’s The Earth’s crust crust is composed is composed of many of layers, many layers, or strata, predominantly defined by certain conditions or strata, each each predominantly defined by certain conditions in thethe planet ’s ’shistor y. y.However, in planet histor However,the theAnthropocene Anthropocene era era is is unique because it is no longer a natural condition that is defining this rather human humanactivity. activity.The Thesignificance significanceofof this fact canstratum, rather this fact cannot notunderestimated be underestimated all aspects of are life impacted. are impacted. be - all -aspects of life

more mindful mindful on on the theimpacts impactsofofthethe things things wewe create create on the on enthe vironment , culture, and thethe future? environment , culture, and future?

to active matter, a new To answer answer these thesequestions questionsI looked I looked to active matter, a area new area of research that seeks to further integrate material science of research that seeks to further integrate material science with design outcomes. By taking advantage of more propwith design outcomes. By taking advantage of material more material erties, we can make more efficient products. WeWe cancan begin to properties, we can make more efficient products. begin to potential that exists in the materials often tend seesee thethe potential that exists in the materials wewe so so often tend to waste. A related andand interesting phenomenon is using the the triNaturally, this poses an urgent question to designers: how can to waste. A related interesting phenomenon is using we realize a better world through our work? How can we be triboelectric effect productstotoautonomously autonomouslyproduce produceenergy. energy. boelectric effect in in products

TRIBOELECTRIC SERIES

negative charge affinity

lon

a ra

gla

iny

tto

r yl

lyv

y ox ep e en t yr lys ne po yle rop e rid lyp po hlo lC

lat

positive charge affinity

TRIBOELECTRIC EFFECT 1.

Two materials with different charge tendencies

Separation and outstanding charges

Contact and friction between the materials 149

Abstract illustration depicting intersectionality: the coming together of disparate elements into a new whole.

Each of the disciplines of architecture, fashion and engineering have unique design goals. While the area of these goals can overlap, the intersection between all three is unclear.

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When we start to plot our precedent studies based on their design intentions, we see how these fashion-adjacent projects further blur typical understandings of what is fashion, architecture and engineering.

The work being done in this studio project coexists in this blended discipline of fashion/architecture/engineering.

INTERSECTIONALIT Y

Hussein Chalayan Spring/Summer 2000

Fabrics exist in a natural state of friction, abrasion and torsion in the wearing process. What if clothing were able to convert the waste kinetic energy of the wearer into usable electricity? To answer this question we will draw upon design practices used in fashion, architecture and engineering. By looking at other works done at this intersection, we can start to understand the emerging interdisciplinary responses to the challenges faced by humanity today. Comme Des Garçons Autumn/Winter 2021 IBM-Marchesa Cognitive Dress, MET Gala 2016

Zac Posen LED Dress, MET Gala 2016

Iris Van Herpen Spring 2021

Cooper Hewitt Collection Active Textiles

SO-IL L’air pour l’air

Self-Assembly Lab, MIT Self-Tailoring Garment

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Triboelectric technology collage 1

Negative charging material Positive charging material Electron transfer to/from circuit Electron transfer between insulators and electrodes

Diagram of charge transfer schemes between negative and positive affinity materials.

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Incorporating a triboelectric nanogenerator into a garment has many advantages. Textiles worn around the body are naturally in a state of friction, abrasion and torsion. In addition, there are many options for textiles with high charge affinities to be used as effective components in the generator. There are several methods through which the active components can be combined to generate electrical charge.

Triboelectric technology collage 2

Triboelectric technology collage 3

PROJECT FINDINGS My research into the problems presented in the Anthropocene has nicely coalesced into a strong thesis: through an interdisciplinary study of the challenges we face, we can find novel solutions. Studying active matter and triboelectrification has made me aware of the innate power contained in the materials around us. At the intersection of fashion, architecture and active matter is the triboelectric garment - a product that both shelters and empowers the wearer.

In architecture, the issue of inflexibility has resulted in buildings being demolished because they are no longer able to meet the changing needs of their users. Soft architecture, spaces that operate at the scale of the body and manipulatable materials that perform useful functions for the user, proposes an alternative built environment that can keep up with the accelerating pace of change. There are an increasing number of low-voltage technologies that can take advantage of the electricity produced within a garment. Research on this topic is happening at an opportune time and has exciting potential outcomes.

The Anthropocene presents problems to each of the fields explored in this research. In fashion, there is an urgent issue around fast fashion and the tendency of consumers to purchase and dispose of clothing before it has reached the end of its usable life. By giving wearers additional capabilities, to autonomously and cleanly generate electricity, this The world of design is changing as it responds to the challenges of the project demonstrates a solution. It proposes a new perspective on how Anthropocene. This project proposes a hybridization of fashion, architextiles should be treated and the value they offer the wearer. tecture, and active matter. It demonstrates a unique possibility of habitation and a more gentle and intentional use of materials. 153

Post-digital technology and fashion collage.

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POST-DIGITAL DESIGN TOOLS

Pencil sketches of initial design concepts for a triboelectric garment.

Virtual reality sketches allow the designer to understand volumes, shapes, colours and textures in a more realistic manner. It is a ver y useful tool for developing initial design ideas.

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MATERIAL TESTS Circuit

Electrode

LED

Polyvinyl Chloride

Nylon

(-)

(-) 20% copper/nickel filaments 80% polyester

Swatches

Polyester

Cotton

Nylon Voltage production is enough to dimly light an LED. Inconsistent production results in dimming/ brightening and strobing effects.

Polyvinyl Chloride

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Silk

Aramid

Polyvinyl chloride - electrode - Nylon - electrode

Polyvinyl Chloride

Nylon

electrode - Aramid - Silk - electrode

Aramid

VOLTAGE PRODUCTION electrode - Aramid - Cotton - electrode

Aramid

Cotton

electrode - Aramid - Nylon - electrode

Silk Aramid

Nylon

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Toile fitting collage

triboelectric patches

LEDs

aramid

zippers

conductive thread

seams

knit fabric 158

Technical drawings of final design

FINAL DESIGN Front

Back

Back shoulder detail

Side

Front shoulder detail

Side detail

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TEC H NOR ELIC S

APPLIED RESEARCH IN FABRICATION AND MATERIALIT Y IN THE AGE OF THE HUMAN EPOCH