Archive
Digital Craftsmanship in Architecture Exhibition Opening, 24.08.2012, at National Library Singapore
DIGITAL Craftsmanship in Architecture Exhibition, 24-28.08.2012, at National Library, Singapore
DIGITAL Craftsmanship in Architecture Exhibition
Digital Fabrication in Architecture Studio / DTS Yr. 4 Program
Department of Architecture / School of Design and Environment / National University of Singapore
DESCRIPTION :
Two seemingly contrasting ideas combined will turn into something remarkably new. This resulted in the idea of Digital Craftsmanship – connecting the digital technology with artisans’ craftsmanship. Singapore is uniquely positioned to benefit from both – the latest technology in digital fabrication, as well as the beautiful and rich culture of ASEAN craftsmanship in countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam. The NUS digital fabrication in architecture studio introduces advanced design to fabrication flow, such as 3D modeling, simulation, digital fabrication and physical assembly and testing. We discover existence of data flow distinguishes digital and conventional craftsmanship, prolonging the interface between human and object. The result is very encouraging –the Digital Craftsmanship approach could lead innovative yet regionally relevant contemporary architectural design, complex yet controlled functional geometry and aesthetics. We hope this exhibition could raise our awareness about preserving the precious wisdom of traditional craftsmanship alongside with advanced fabrication technologies in architecture.
EXHIBITION : 24 August 2012 (7 pm – 9 pm), 25 – 28 August 2012 (10 am – 9 pm, daily, free admission)
OPENING : 24 August 2012, 7pm – , RSVP to Yi Hui (dfabstudio@gmail.com)
VENUE : Promenade, Level 8, National Library Building, 100 Victoria Street, Singapore
PROJECT TEAM :
Shinya Okuda (Studio Tutor), Liane Ee Rulian, Hiral Ashvin Desai, Lee Teng Teng Cheryl, Ian Wong Hengjie, Teo Lin Lin, Xu Xiaoqi, Liu Zhichao, Diptarshi Dev, Tan Zi Hua, Teh Yi Hui, Joshua Loh.
Folded Shell Structure by Liane Ee
Making Sheet Architecture
Folding turns flat sheet into doubly curved shell
Folding adds structural stiffness to a surface and can be a potential construction system for large span structures with complex geometry.
Material
ALUCOBOND®
Alucobond, invented in the 1970s and used mainly for facades, can be CNC milled using angled drill bits, which allows the material to be folded. Alucobond sheets are available in 2,4 and 6mm thickness and can be folded and unfolded up to 8 times. The design pushes the possibility for this material to be used as structure, by making folds in the sheet, so as to produce a very thin-shell structure with a complex form but easily assembled and transported.
Design
Fabrication
1:20 Scale Model
Expanded polystyrene structure by teolinlin
Membrane to Fabrication by Cheryl Lee
An exploration of the fabrication of complex membrane structures.
Grasshopper definition
Using this basic Grasshopper definition, form is simplified by lofting curves such that it is similar to the initial form, whereby the form and spaces are defined by tree positions and air-conditioned and naturally-ventilated spaces. Internal partitions have to simulated in Kangaroo separately from the exterior skin as Rhinoceros is unable to join the surfaces, resulting in holes in the membrane. A curve is extruded upwards for the partition walls and simulated to follow the defined form. This is done by selecting points to be attracted to the original exterior skin. Eclipses are projected on the membrane as holes for the trees.
During the process, variations of the membrane are tried out to achieve a dynamic form. This was achieved through changing the anchor points and tension cables of the membrane structure and simplifying the form.
After baking the output mesh, change MeshToNURB in Rhinoceros. Unroll surface. However, there will be overlaps during the unrolling, so the polysurface should be exploded first. Join the surfaces in strips and then, unroll. However, as shown on the left, the unrolled surfaces still overlap to a certain extent and manual orienting needs to be done to ensure minimal overlapping and gaps between each surface. The border is traced and offset for fabrication. The offset line allows for sewing of fabric to prevent fraying.
The pieces are plotted on the fabric using Graphtec. The pieces cannot be cut using the machine as the fabric will be torn. As there are pieces bigger than the plotting area, much calculation and measurement has to be done to ensure that the lines are aligned. after stitching the edges of each piece of the fabric surface, a double action stitch is used to join two pieces of cloth together.
Elevation
Section AA’
Section BB’
Multi-Angled Joinery by Tan Zi Hua
Tapping on the advanced technology of >3-Axis Computer Numerical Control (CNC) Router, the fabrication of many angled wood joints can be made efficient. The metal connectors used to hold the joints are fabricated through welding, following a template provided. The manageable pieces of wood and variable plate connectors can then be transported to site and be used to build complex building structures. Therefore on-site construction will only require basic tools for increased convenience.
FORM GENERATION
SIMULATION
CONSTRUCTION
