Margaret Goldsack BENV2426

TENSION IN FLIGHT

In Assignment 1, I researched bone structure and more specifically its breakdown in the condition Osteoporosis. This simplification of structure to its most basic level before collapse captured my interest. The idea of stripping down a form to its most basic and minimalist level before it breaks tests the boundaries of form.

Assignment 2, had me researching the voronoi architecture of Patrick Bedarf and the capacity of this type of architecture to incorporate the outside world into its form. In conjunction with this, I also undertook research into tensile architecture. The tensile state in which structures may be held together with minimum form is curious due to its combined fragility in appearance and physical strength.

On engaging Assignment 3, I wished to combine all these elements to create a new formation using Grasshopper. My intention was to create a structure which offered both protection and openness to the external elements. I was concerned to create a structure that was extremely light in form yet strong enough to stand against the weather.

The triangular roof formations are a reflection of the triangular site on the corner of Cathedral and Crown Street, Sydney. These planes are intended to provide protection but also to engage with photovoltaic technology to provide energy to the building. The angular supports and changing planes provide a sense of movement through the structure which is to reflect the surrounding heavy traffic ways around the site.

The combination of the structural forms incorporating the geometry of the site and its more abstract context in the form of movement allow the building to bridge a gap between the traditional surrounding houses and the openness of the Domain across the road from the site. The idea is that the lightness of its structure encourages a hypothetical reaching out to the openness of the Domain and bringing it in towards the new structure and thus breathing space and freshness into the somewhat mundane traditional buildings.

In order to create the different iterations, I used variables within my Grasshopper file. These included varying the point cloud number and spatial awareness between the points, controlling the jitter of points and the index of their splitting. I also experimented with textures concentrating on using natural elements which reflected the lightness of the structure on which they were to be applied. Using natural colours was important for the integration of the structure into the site. As the forms are already radical, I concluded that using natural colours would create a more calming and integrated approach which would allow the public to be more engaged with the building.

I am concerned about the construction of my laser cuts as I think it will be difficult to construct and maintain as a stable structure. I trust that by making notches in the base board this will give the structure a more stable holding. I have chosen to use box board for the base and struts, partly because it is a thicker material and also those structures are somewhat bland. The triangular roofing will be in white card which will help accentuate its lightness and in particular in compariston to the grey box board.

Click Here for Grasshopper File for Laser Cutting

Click Here for Laser Cutting File 1

Click Here for Laser Cutting File 2

Click Here for Laser Cutting File 3