IBOIS at the Design Modelling Symposium, Berlin
© DMS 2019
Petras Vestartas, a PhD student at IBOIS, has given a presentation at the Design Modelling Symposium Berlin 2019
Last week, on Tuesday the 24th of October, Petras Vestartas gave a conference on the last paper entitled Modelling Workflow for Segmented Timber Shells using Wood-wood Connections.
Petras Vestartas and Nicolas Rogeau took part at the Design Modelling Symposium Berlin 2019, with the main thematic : Impact : design with all senses, at the University of the Arts in Berlin, and both of them participated at the 2-days workshopon the theme of Fabrication-Informed Design of Robotically Assembled Structures.
Abstract
This paper presents a modelling method based on planarization for double-curved segmented timber shell made from quad polygons and assembled by wood-wood connections. The inspiration is taken from timber dome structures,, where solid timber walls were built from planks, connected side by side. Furthermore, the research is based on a collaboration with a local timber company located in a mountain area. In this context, timber has a low economic value because the price no longer covers the harvesting costs. Therefore, there is a need to explore the available timber stock (round wood, beam elements and planks) to transform it locally. The geometry modelling workflow is split into three parts: surface discretization, joint modelling and fabrication.
Firstly, projection-based solver is applied to the planarization of volumetric blocks. Secondly, the joint geometry is computed according to the insertion vector and a tool-path is generated using G-Code to guide the 4.5 Axis CNC machining. As proof of concept, two prototypes were built, one from planks and another from round-woods. The choice of material influenced the segmentation of the timber shell. Finger and Tenon-mortise joinery techniques have been chosen for their simple modelization and fast cutting time. Their placement follows as closely as possible fiber orientation of wood. Even if both study cases share the same discretization method, the first prototype from timber plates takes advantage of lightweight structures, while the second explores a heavy solid round-wood structural system.
Find out more informations about this paper on Infoscience.
About the event :
Spatial Design is a fundamental practice in humans’ shaping of the material world. As a cultural technique, it is a key activity in the design-based disciplines as well as in the arts and in engineering. The digital revolution has led to the development not only of new spatial design technologies, devices and tools, but also of new fundamental processes and strategies, in which generative procedures make algorithms an indispensable component in the design process. But it is not only technological possibilities that are progressing. The social configurations of spatial design are also shifting, as are spatial awareness and spatial experience. It is becoming increasingly difficult to differentiate between environments and technology: surfaces are becoming interfaces, inhabitants are becoming nodes, and products are transforming into services. As a consequence, established concepts of authorship, ‘reality’ and ‘authenticity’ need to be re-evaluated.
All forms of design are increasingly using digital representations and digital tools to provide more immediate feedback on the designs being generated. In this context, we can observe a gradual convergence of artistic and technical design processes. Media art and design are drawing intensively from technological developments, whereas the development of technical products and services are increasingly considering non-technical aspects such as user experience and intuition.
By synthesizing artistic, theoretical and technological perspectives and positions, the symposium will provide a platform for key research questions about the role of the digital in relation to art, architecture and design, and the impact on the future of society, environment and innovation. In this context the integration of life cycle analysis as a fundamental parameter of any design exploration and optimisation seems to be key question in the further production of human physical and social space in all scales. What will be our impacts for further generations and how could we adapt the new design methods and environments in combination with digital fabrication processes and innovative material systems to a new quality in a Regenerative Design.