Stand up Architecture (SA) gives the student the opportunity to investigate a subject of their liking. It also provides the opportunity to do preliminary research for the Graduation Project of Building Technology (MSc4).
The tools students can use are the usual tools, like AUTOCAD, MAYA and SKETCH-UP. But the students can also use parametric models and are even encouraged to use these. The programs available for that are Rhinoceros 4.0, with the Grasshopper plug-in, MAYA, with the MEL scripting plug-in and Generative Components.
Bamboo
Even before starting SA I was always interested in the use of wood in construction. Searches for interesting wood related subjects in the past always brought me to results that seemed unfit for further investigation. Then a project by Florian Heinzelmann got thrown into my lap and ideas for a Graduation Project were born.
At Pejaten on Bali, Indonesia, a resort builder asked Florian to design an entrance pavilion made out of bamboo. The resulting design is a bamboo Hypar construction with an ingenious shading system. But the design didn’t ensure that the structure could actually be build. The research needed to calculate the forces flowing in the structure was beyond the reach of the designer.
The project, unfinished, was presented by Andrew Bogart to the coming students of SA. As this project would need a lot of research, I thought it would take enough time to fill my graduation year. It also involved researching a wood construction, although bamboo can be seen as a different category. I decided to take up the challenge.
Design by Florian Heinzelmann.
The Hypar roof
The design for the bamboo pavilion is a Hypar. The Hypar is a Hyperbolic Paraboloid and is doubly ruled. This means that the surface consists of straight sections in two directions. Such a geometry could be made from straight, long bamboo sticks, following the scheme shown below and layering them on top of each other.
The designed construction will need to be researched in various ways. The main research parts are:
· Strength constraints of bamboo
· Boundary conditions of the pavilion
· Connections
· Elements to take in plane forces (shear/tension/compression)
· Shading elements
Although these might not be the only parts to be researched, they will most likely take up most of the research. Also, parts can be combined.
One of the first ideas is to combine the shading elements and the elements that take the in plane forces. Bamboo strips could be used, but so far no conclusions can be made.
Research for Stand up Architecture
For SA I will start researching the design. For this a number of steps will be taken.
1. Wire model
Parametrically modeled in Rhinoceros using Grasshopper to change the height, length and width of the model. The subdivision of the plane, the angle of the mirror plane and the angle of the triangles will be fixed.
2. Creating an IGIS
From the Grasshopper model wire models will be “baked” with a fixed height, length and width. These will be prepared to be exported as IGIS, so they can be imported into DIANA.
3. DIANA analysis
Using DIANA, the IGIS will be given material and physical properties. The resulting models will be analyzed in strength. The output file will show the forces flowing in the model. This way the strains and stresses can be analyzed to see if the bamboo is strong enough to create the design.
4. Making a physical model
Using the information from the DIANA analysis a physical model can be made. This physical model can then be used to support the theory.
5. Comparing lighting
The physical model, if successful, can provide a view into the shading. The physical shading elements, applied to the model, can then be compared to a digital model, based on the Rhino models.
The steps above should ensure a full circle of research from parametric to constructive to physical and then back to parametric.
Example for a parametric model
Welded wood layers of beech (dark) and spruce - wood welding machine
