Nested Forms
Fishnet Structure
I'm working on two complimentary strategies at the moment, nesting forms and fishnet structural systems. The idea is to produce more of a sensual relationship between the forms and then to wrap them with a revealing exoskeleton.
More work for my Greg Lynn + Jeff Kipnis Studio...
I’m trying to figure out some formal strategies for the house I am designing for the Greg Lynn + Jeff Kipnis studio I'm taking. At the moment I’m still fishing but there’s something about these that is working for me.
I'm in a design studio taught by Greg Lynn and Jeff Kipnis this semester and this is my first little bit of work. See the brief of the studio here. So far it's amazing.
I designed these display pieces with David Boira using a kinematic machinery that I built in Maya. They are going to be used for the GSAPP final show as display surfaces for the work built in our studio this semester. They were CNC milled out of high density foam at Sci-Arc in Los Angeles by our new friend Bryan Flaig.
This is the final image of my presentation in Hernan Diaz Alonso's final review.
The goal of my research this semester has been to produce an architectural system that situates itself somewhere in the blurry space between structure, surface, form and ornament — hopefully that is beginning to come across in the work.
Here are a couple of views from the building systems project I’m collaboratively designing with David Boira, Dylan Baker Rice, and Andrew Payne. Our proposal is for a double glazed facade system with mechanical louvers, exposed structure, and HVAC components all used as decorative elements.
I’m working with three components to develop a megastructure, exoskeleton, and cladding system for my studio project. They have a top down parametric relationship to each other based on the operation of the kinematic armatures that drive the form.
One of the issues driving my work this semester is a frustration with the inadequacy of surfaces and their inherent thinness. I’m trying to find a way to make enclosure and space, not based on folded and curved planes, but with an idea of a thickened topology. I’m trying to develop something that can be inhabited, that has built in intelligence into how it organizes and structures itself, and whose operations open up new types of spatial and ornamental effects. The dense branching of the complex topology above is produced by the kinematic organization of multiple arrays of individual components and a subsequent phase shift of their topological order into one mega surface.
As part of my project in Hernan Diaz Alonso's studio, I’m working on the design of two components that could accumulate in multiple vectors. As they align with the connection point of another component they will opportunistically merge to create structure or enclosure. The idea is to use dynamically-driven kinematic armatures to make branches that compose complex three dimensional topologies.
An example of two subdivision components
An example of subdivision surface attachment
Subdivision surfaces were recently included in the new release of Maya and I've been experimenting with them quite a bit. I've figured out that they offer a way to make seamless connections between topologically distinct pieces ( I assume this is probably not much of a secret in the animation world). This is pretty significant as it solves a lot of problems fundamental to nurbs modeling (while it raises many new ones).
While I was working for Peter Eisenman last summer, he freaked out on me about a curve I drew poorly. The upside was that he sat down for half-an-hour to explain the properties of a good curve. It had much to do with a gradual increase in its degree of curvature, and a bit to do with something ineffable. Regardless, I’ve discovered a better way to make consistently elegant curves.
Playing around with inverse kinematics and dynamics in Maya, I figured out that you can produce curves with a kinematic armature that have gradual parametric curvature. This solves the inherent problem in splines and nurbs that there are no qualitative or performative restraints. I did some research into this and it is a concept that apparently already exists.
Kinematic curves are curves produced by machinery, or a combination of motions, as distinguished from mathematical curves. The appeal of this should be quite clear, we can produce precise machined curvatures that are free of the constraints of mathematically defined curves. I ‘m pretty sure I will be basing the rest of the semester on trying to maximize this potential in my project.
This is a concept image for an animation I’m making with David Boira using our recon X piece from last semester. The premise is that it is in space – always a good idea for a sequel.
Here is a ghosted perspective of the reconfigurable interior surfaces David Boira and I presented during our final review.
David Boira and I have worked out these prototypes for reconfigurable housing modules. Following a flexible grid, these units can plug into a larger housing block and still retain their individuality by taking on different spatial and environmental configurations. On the interior, this performance is enhanced by floors and walls which can similarly be customized or rearranged for different uses.
David Boira and I are working on translating our ideas from our reconfigurable furniture into a more specific architectural space by producing a wall and / or floor panel system. These surfaces are designed to produce varying degrees of folding with real time articulation assist. When panels are pushed or pulled, an electric actuator exerts force in the direction of the pull, making the hinged surface fold with no effort into shelves, tables, chairs, or whatever other arrangement one desires.
We're still figuring this thing out. So are these guys.
We are testing out the motion of reCon-X and trying out some color schemes while we are at it.