Parquet Deformations. Y Knot Formation. After Leland Chen, 1977. Redrawn by Tess Hilgefort

PROJECT 4  | Progress Due: 04.12 | Final Projects Due / Review: May 9th, 10am

Problem:
Design a component-based aggregate structure that builds on the behavior of your field condition.  The structure’s behavior should be a result of the component’s geometry.  Only the structure’s behavior under a specified gradient condition should be considered.  Particular site and program requirements for the structure are not necessary for this exercise.
Gradient conditions for consideration should be informed by your study on a natural system, and may include but are of course not limited to:
• wind forces
• weight (gravity)
• moisture
• heat
• water flows
• light

Deliverable:
• Begin with an analysis of your field condition by applying it’s perceived formal capabilities to material and geometric performances.  Speculate on the material(s) necessary for such performances to take place.
• Design a component, or a set of unique components, that aggregate to form the structure and perform to accommodate the above analysis with regard to the gradient condition.

Due:
Supporting documents that outline the component’s performance and structure’s behavior.
• Performance diagram(s) for the component and overall structure.
• Architectural drawings of the component, structure, and connection details.
• Animation of responsive behavior under the specified conditions.
• Model(s):  stereolithography, laser-cut, and analog models that study a connection detail, particular instances within the system to study it’s behavior, and/or scaled representational model of the system in its entirety.

Support:
In The Architecture of the Well Tempered Environment, Reyner Banham discusses the potential for architects to learn from societies that ‘inhabit a space whose external boundaries are vague, adjustable, and rarely regular.’¹  By distinguishing between the boundary condition as a material threshold and one that ‘operates through the opportunistic use of environmental gradient thresholds’², Banham references the campfire as an example of a condition that can actively differentiate space by providing exposure to a range of environmental conditions across a gradient.  The challenge presented here, is to design a relationship between material thresholds and environmental dynamics by employing a material’s behavior rather than focusing only on it’s shape.³

1. Banham, Reyner. The Architecture of the Well Tempered Environment. University of Chicago Press, 1973.
2, 3. Hensel, M and Menges, A. Morpho-Ecologies. towards a Heterogeneous Space in Architectural Design. AA Publications, 2007.

Readings:
Stan Allen.  ‘From Object to Field’ (from AD Architecture After Geometry)
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Reyner Banham. ‘Environmental Management’ (from The Architecture of the Well Tempered Environment)
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Michael Hensel and Achim Menges. ‘The Heterogeneous Space of Morpho-Ecologies’ (from AD Reader: Space Reader.  Heterogeneous Space in Architecture)
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