Final Production

Considering constraints of time and cost, two segments were produced. This proved the success of the workflow and design and provides insights for further improvements.

Problem Identification

Where weaknesses in construction have been observed, the goal of the proposal is to find improvements.

Rule-Based Design

With rule-based design, a placeholder design can be manipulated to meet different requirements, such as scaling the structure or increasing the complexity of layers.

Platform-Based Approach Enabled by System Engineering

A platform approach discretises the project into subassemblies. This allows decisions to be evaluated according to various criteria – simultaneously bottom-up and top-down.

Low-resolution Analysis

Through Lux & CFD analysis, a low-resolution model can be oriented so that it achieves the best natural light and ambient temperature by airflow.

Full Subassembly and Reduction for Fabrication

A full assembly and subassembly for the main shelter. The assembly is reduced to ring beams, columns, and brackets. The highlighted segment has been chosen for manufacture.

Assembly

Human scale assembly and design for disassembly. This enables the structure to be easily disassembled for relocation or recycling as part of a C2C lifecycle.

Ring Beams Detail and Logic

Features on the ring beams are unrolled, and the toolpaths are programmed in 2.5D. The work holding solution is designed to fit between the double-robot setup.

Ring Beams Manufacture

The robots work collaboratively: one operates a spindle, while the other uses a bandsaw to slice the lamella. This process is repeated until all useable material has been extracted.

Ring Beams Bending and Jig Design

The jig is semi-flat-packed to facilitate transportation. It bends the three-ring beam segments to curvature. The lamellas are fully assembled before they are removed from the jig.

Ring Beams Assembly

The lamellas are stacked, bent on the jig. The predrilled holes align and will be bolted. The bent timber beam exhibits strength greater than the sum of the lamellas.

Columns Detail

The columns are made from a combination of unique and standardised components. The unique components utilise standard timber stocks that are machined only at the ends to reduce wastage.

Columns Manufacture and Assembly

The columns are machined at the points of connection to minimise time, and they are constructed with bolts for future disassembly.

Brackets Design

As the structure's ring geometry is not concentric, a bracket with two axes of movement is used to connect the ring beams and column components.

Brackets Manufacture

The two bracket designs are cut from sheet steel and bent using two different techniques, with additional lathe metalworking to produce the backing plates.

Elastically Bent Skin Scan

Scans of the self-stiffened, elastically bent plywood are verified with a developing simulation tool, building a bridge between tactile feedback loops and digital workflows.

Elastically Bent Skin