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12JanOn Aluminum Superplastic Forming

As mentioned briefly in the previous post, SPF (superplastic forming) is a process by which a superplastic aluminum alloy is formed over a single surface tool using heat (500°c) and air pressure. While quite common in automotive and aerospace manufacturing, the deployment of SPF for architecture has been rather limited. Among others, The Financial Times Print Works and Sansbury’s Store Camden London, both by Grimshaw Architects have used this process.

There are several advantages to the SPF process that make it uniquely suited to produce complex, weather-resistant, architectural surfaces. First, the heat forming process is extremely accurate with very little variation between panels, particularly when compared to cold form processes such as stamping. Second, extreem relief and surface detail is possible. As a general rule, the depth of a panel feature can be up to half its width. With regards to detail, Heather reports the registration of minute details, offering the potential to produce richly textured surfaces. Finally, SPF is cost-effective for projects requiring ‘hundreds or thousands’ of components, lending itself to an architectural scale.

I will try to briefly explain the process: A digital model is created of an intended surface. Depending on the characteristics of the geometry and the production, a specific grade of aluminum is selected for forming. The forming process is simulated using finite element analysis to confirm geometric accuracy and to detect any problems before tools are produced. After the geometry is confirmed, a tool is produced either by CNC milling a solid block of aluminum, or, for larger production runs, a mold is milled and the tool is cast in iron. Depending on the geometry of the panel, a number of forming processes may be used. The most common are male forming, where the material is pressed over a male tool, drape forming, where the material is forced into a female cavity over a male tool, and female forming, where the material is forced by air pressure into a female cavity. More information is available from Superform.

Image: Material Elongation of Superplastic Alloys v. Standard Aluminum

in Between the Sheets and Thoughts. 1 Comment

09JanBetween the Sheets, Introduction

Material reality has become plastic. Technology of design and technology of manufacture alters materiality breeding what can be called synthetic materiality. This is a constructed set of surface effects resulting from the mixture of actual material properties and geometry-induced properties of digital operations. In the most captivating mixtures, the real and the virtual become so intertwined that one perceives a new synthetic materiality. The optical and tactile sensations produced by these surfaces bring a new lushness to design research.

-Heather Roberge

Between the Sheets is an elective technical seminar at UCLA’s Graduate School of Architecture and Urban Design initiated by Heather Roberge. In brief, technical seminars at UCLA engage in focused design research in areas of digital fabrication and materiality, typically producing 1:1 prototypes of architectural systems or objects. The specific ambition of Between the Sheets is to explore the potential of using SPF (superplastic forming) of aluminum as a fabrication process to develop a rain screen cladding system. The specific tolerances of the SPF process, as outlined by Superform USA, a pioneer of this technique in Riverside, will serve as formal constraints for the development of the system. The image above is Bioform, a gallery installation at Artist’s Space in New York, designed by Heather Roberge and fabricated by Superform USA.

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15DecSensitive Primitives, Final Presentation

More than simply a container for art, the gallery is a space which facilitates specific interactions between an artwork and a viewer. In the case of Tara Donovan, there exists a powerful relationship between distance and perception where the identity or reading of the work changes dramatically as one moves through space. This building seeks to exploit this relationship with calibrated formal gestures. Specific issues of framing, approach, and the spatial occupations of Donovan’s work define the architecture.

The final presentation boards are included below (Click to Enlarge). Click Here for Model Photos.

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01DecSensitive Primitives, Reflections on the Brief

The final project for this quarter is a small, free-standing gallery space for the artist Tara Donovan. Among other stipulations, the brief establishes a formal matrix which requires two floors and a maximum footprint of 30’-0”x29’-6”. A simple program and a generic site suggest an architectural narrative, but deny the necessity for any rigorous consideration of program or site. These technicalities form the backdrop for the myriad theoretical and pedagogical concerns implicit in the title: Sensitive Primitives.

Rather than fail in an attempt to explain the full parameters of the title, I will briefly address the issues relevant to my thinking. The first issue, and perhaps the most obvious, is transformation in the Eisenmanian sense; the initial matrix serves as iteration one of an ensuing indexical process of transformation. For me, this process operates primarily as a form-finding method of elaboration by facilitating a circulation concept relating to certain experiential sensibilities regarding Donovan’s work. The subtext is a materialist agenda, encouraging an understanding and careful consideration of intensive and extensive forces. In my work this is a regulator of mass or poché, though my project is relatively primitive in this sense. Finally, there is a clear reference to the Deleuzean diagram in the requirement to analyze a specific work of Donovan. I believe the intent is to unlock the generative potential of accumulative processes (a callback to Analog Generative System) as embodied in analytical diagrams. Unfortunately, my deployment of this ideology only goes so far as to regulate the physical relationship between Donovan’s pieces in a phenomenological sense.

The analytical diagrams in this post articulate various aspects of Tara Donovan’s ‘Haze’ 2003. The conditions of material stratification and formal reading from different distances are of particular importance.

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03NovAnalog Generative System (pt4)

I have spent the past two and a half weeks producing drawings and diagrams of the aforementioned physical model. Beyond simply representing the model, I wanted these drawings to express two core ideas: the formal language of tangency that emerged withing the ordering system of my physical model; and the idea of differential scalar perception (mentioned briefly in the previous post).

As an extension of the physical model, I produced a three-dimensional pointcloud to represent a field significantly larger than was physically practical. The points are derived from surfaces which closely resemble the individual formal bodies of each vertical cluster (see boards below for further graphic explanation). The intended result is to subvert the perception of the system as an object, which seemed to be unavoidable within the 18″x18″x18″ limit. As such, the field is imbued with a new reading as a landscape and identifyable clusters aquire a geological dimension relating to the aggrigation of the unit. (See Image Below)

Returning to the idea of differential scalar perception, the views represented above are analogous to certain views of the physical model in terms of their formal reading. More specifically, the first image is similar to one of the macro shots of the model, where connections and individual units are highly legible, but the overall system is quite abstract. Conversely, in the image above, the unit (and perhaps even the cluster) are less important and the overall system is no longer understood as individual units, but rather as a unified surface or landscape. Intermittent views expose various aspects of the system at both local and global levels.

The full presentation boards for the project are included below (click to enlarge).

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13OctIteration One (Analog Generative System pt3)

I have completed a physical model of one iteration of my system. My favorite part about the piece is that a viewers understanding changes dramatically based on distance. From 10′ away, ones perceptual resolution is relatively low, thus the object appears as a chaotic mass. From 5′ away, directional variations and a density patterns emerge. From 2′ away, one can identify continuous lines tracing through the geometry and order becomes increasingly apparent.

In the coming weeks I will be producing a set of analytical drawings to descibe the organizational system and the properties of the unit used in its development.

View a full set of model photographs HERE.

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12OctEmergence (Analog Generative System pt2)

In my research of ordering systems, I found the concept of emergent structures to be a relevant model for my own work. I will be posting images of my final model shortly.

Emergence (n) In philosophy, systems theory and the sciences, emergence is the way complex systems and patterns arise out of a multiplicity of relatively simple interactions. -Wikipedia

First Order Structures

At a local level, connections rely upon material elasticity in bending and torsion. The confluence of opposing forces yields stability at the unit-unit level. Therefore, connections with opposing bending and torque vectors will be highly stable (fig.1). This prerequisite for structural stability serves as the primary regulator of potential unit-unit connection types. Agglomerations of semi-autonomous bodies, or clusters, result from these conditions.

Second Order Structures

Clusters are best understood as ‘seeds’ with specific capacities to spawn further growth in the system. At this level, growth is regulated by input nodes and proximity to other clusters in addition to the aforementioned qualifiers for unit connections.

Third Order Structures

The system as a whole is also subject to performance constraints. Mass is accommodated by a density gradient, moving from the most dense at the bottom, to the least at the top. Directionality results from transfer of system-wide forces. Emergence, in this case, is a product both of the physical parameters of the unit itself and a system of behavioral tectonics that yield myriad growth patterns. The resulting complexity is characteristic of emergent systems and can be seen in natural phenomena such as termite mounds (fig. 2).

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06OctAnalog Generative System

The inaugural project of UCLA’s MArchI program explores the development of generative systems though tectonic assemblies of modular components. Paramount to this process is a differentiation between top-down and bottom up systems. More specifically, emergent formal typologies result from the physical properties of the module and connection variants as opposed to a ‘master plan’ envisioning the result.

Tactically, systems may be considered either derivative or generative. In each case, a set of rules renders a specific formal grammar or syntax. Derivative systems in architecture are often used to subdivide complex geometries into developable units. Surfaces may be panelized. Volumes may be divided into cellular components. In many cases, this process of subdivision creates a type of ornament, articulating texture, structure, and scale. Generative systems aggregate units into novel compositions based on fixed relationships. The formal result may respond to inputs, but it will display behavioral variation. Processes of branching, cellular automata, and others allow for highly differentiated outcomes.

This project is generative. It is a study of potentiality. This is necessitated by syntax: produce a unit, study its limits, develop a formal grammar, and produce a desirable outcome. Ambiguity arises in the final step(produce a desirable outcome) due to an analog means of execution. In theory, a complete set of rules would allow for the computational generation of an infinite number of solutions. Subjectivity is introduced by the choice of a particular iteration. In this case, subjectivity is injected prior to determining an outcome. As such, rules are deployed loosely to produce a desirable outcome - grammar is reverse-engineered. This promotes visual composition while somewhat subverting the nature of generative systems. Conversely, a looser rule-set leads to the emergence of more complex relationships and accommodates anomaly. Pedagogically speaking, it would seem that the exercise is meant to foster a consciousness about formal relationships and to encourage a systematic methodology in future designs.

The core unit in my proposal is a triad with six distinct connection points. Each connection point may accommodate one or two inputs, resulting in 13 unique connection types. Ordered clusters exploit the tectonic qualities of 1/64” Bristol board, recognizing that structural stability results from opposing curvature between at least two units. Primary and secondary cluster types categorize the degree to which a cluster may be joined to other clusters; primary clusters are more readily joined (or offer a greater number of potential connections) than secondary clusters.

Clusters may be joined into higher ordered systems of super-clusters. Super-clusters are the building blocks of the final composition. The transitions and connections between super clusters generate a dynamic network system suggesting direction, formal volumes, and figural bodies. Three initial ordering typologies are discussed below.

TYPOLOGY 001

This composition creates a regular two-dimensional matrix. Structurally, it is extremely stable and could be expanded to large sizes. Variations in curvature and direction may be achieved by physical alterations to the core unit type, i.e. elongation of ‘legs’ or changes in relative leg angles.

TYPOLOGY 002

This composition is regulated by an effort to maintain continuity of curvature between unit clusters. The piece exhibits bilateral symmetry and a sense of completeness or closure by joining loose legs at the periphery. Expansion of the system is limited only by the physical strength of the material. It is unlikely that compositions larger than 18”x18”x18” could be self-supporting.

TYPOLOGY 003

This composition exhibits 3-part radial symmetry in response to the core unit geometry. Variations in unit density produce visual interest and degrees of stability. It is unlikely that the system could expand vertically beyond 18”. Lateral expansion may be infinite. As in Typology 001, a sense of completeness or closure is produced by joining loose legs at the periphery of the composition.

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05OctDigital Workshop

As a warm-up for the fall quarter, I participated in UCLA’s Digital workshop. Georgina Huljich, partner of P-A-T-T-E-R-N-S, was the program director. Rhinoceros was used to create 3D interpretations of the sketches of Ernst Haeckel, a prominent German biologist, naturalist, and philosopher. The articulation of micro-surfaces related to the biological function of the organism was of particular importance in my work.

$Sketch from Haeckel\'s Kunstformen der Natur$

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29AugOn Algorithm

An algorithm is a process of addressing a problem in a finite number of steps. It is an articulation of either a strategic plan for solving a known problem or a stochastic search towards possible solutions to a partially known problem.

-Kostas Terzidis

The most compelling proposition of Kostas Terzidis’ Algorithmic Architecture is the thought process introduced through the grammatical exercise of generating an algorithm. The rational definition of rules, constraints, or problems implies a rigorous methodology – relevant beyond mere translation into computational terms. In fact, an algorithm may be divorced from computation entirely, thus becoming a means of codification for analysis.

Using algorithmic processes as a framework for conceptual design forces a logical definition of a given problem. Through this process, one separates what may be quantified or definitively established from the more arbitrary or qualitative dimensions of the design process. This disconnect is not meant to subvert the validity of intuition or interpretation; rather it necessitates certain honesty, establishing grounds for critique. Thus a design solution can be evaluated against pre-established rules in a coherent, intellectual fashion.

The process of formulating an algorithm separates the numerous dimensions of a problem into discrete tasks. In doing so, it presents these tasks as performance criteria. Views, structure, solar exposure, ventilation, access, etc. provide a point of departure and inform the design process – conventional or computational. Measurable variables initiate a search for optimization and allow designers to make rational decisions about form.

Computation, in opposition to what Terzidis refers to as computerization, has two primary applications: form generation and form analysis. Terzidis is predominantly concerned with the former, which as of yet remains widely unexplored within the field of architecture. A variety of reasons are given for this condition, but I would argue that the key problem is interface. Computer scientists have developed advanced programming environments such as Ruby on Rails and Apple Inc.’s Cocoa to streamline tasks and increase legibility. Mathematica offers scientists, mathematicians, and engineers a powerful GUI and kernel. Processing affords artists and designers a simplified and comprehensible Java-based environment for generative and interactive work. More recently Grasshopper for Rhino and Paracloud have offered architects similar expandable toolsets. All of these are essentially interfaces for computation that increase usability and consequently, usefulness.

The second computational operation, form analysis, has rapidly gained prevalence in the fields of industrial design and engineering. Solidworks, Fluent and Catia to name a few, offer designers different ways of seeing and evaluating design decisions. The implicit potential for architecture is the promise of performance. Ideas may be tested, optimized and fabricated using advanced technologies.

The Point: The thought processes involved in developing an algorithm may be applied to conventional design approaches to considerable benefit. This process is as much a way of thinking as it is a way of executing computational models.

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