2nd skin: Nichole Wong

second skin project Nichole Wong student no.:641830 semester 2/2013 group number 5

contents Ideation

3

Design

9

Fabrication

21

Reflection

25

Bibliography + Credits

28

Lantern as a Profile and section Material system

225mm 80mm

To begin exploring the various ways in which the second skin brief can be approached, I chose the lantern as an example of a profile and section material system. Measurement of the lantern was inspired from that week’s reading How to Lay Out a Croissant (Miralles & Pinos).

Firstly, the inflated lantern was photocopied from the side and bottom. By placing the photocopy and a sheet of tracing paper on a light box, a rough outline can be obtained.

Next, to make the drawings more defined, another sheet of tracing paper was placed over the initial sketch and another outline was produced using a compass and scale ruler. The drawings were then scanned and enhanced or traced over again on Photoshop.

10mm

290mm

Lantern sketches

3

1

2

4

5 6

1 Lantern in collapsed state.

2 Top view of lantern with internal wire frame.

3 Upon closer examination of the collapsed form, it can be seen that the folding in the paper could resemble an accordion.

4/5 The

panelling component of the lantern comprises of eight almost elliptical shapes.

When unfolded, they no longer tessellate.

6 The lantern in the inflated state with wire structure

Rhino Model of Lantern Using the Rhino software, I was able to construct a digital model of the lantern.

A photo of the lantern in profile was uploaded on to the Rhino software using the PictureFrame command. A curve was then extrapolated by tracing around the edge of half the lantern. To give the paper skin some dimension, a second curve was constructed using the Offset tool.

The tool curves were then joined together. To model the lantern three dimensionally, the Revolve command was used.

The wire frame inside the lantern was constructed using similar methods, using the curve tool. However, it was realised three dimensionally using the Pipe command instead of Revolve.

Developmental sketch model By separating the lantern in to its constituent parts, the way in which each contribute to creating volume and space can be better understood.

When the lantern was deconstructed, it was found that the outer wire frame was not rigid as it was previously thought to be. However, the paper panels were interesting and seem to create a tessellating effect. There is an opportunity for this effect to be explored further in terms of profile and sectioning.

In order to describe and explore the volume of the lantern, the wire was bent and scrunched to claim ownership of a space. Some of the paper panels were then used to reconstruct the paper paneling effect that was evident in the lantern.

It was found that not only can a profile and section material system create an enclosed space, it can produced the illusion of an enclosed space while the overall structure can appear very exposed.

Exploring personal spaces The reading Personal Spaces (Sommer 1969) was useful in the exploration of what personal and individual spaces were. It was realised that there is an opportunity for the design to establish boundaries of where personal space is (the area beyond which an intruder is unwelcome) and at the same time provide indicators as to where the individual space is.

This is to ensure that an animate object such as an approaching person will be able to interact with the enclosed person at a distance that should be ideally be comfortable for both parties.

Sensory Deprivation One scenario where one might want to disappear or announce their personal space may be while taking public transport. Often, people want to disallow their senses from interacting with their environment.

One sense people may want to deprive is sight. For example, looking down to avoid having to look at others or conversely, allow one to think that they are not being looked at.

Another common practice is to listen to music.

This method aims to limit sensory experiences with the environment. In rarer cases, some people wear hats or wear hooded sweaters.

This again evokes the idea of deprivation the ability for some of the senses to experience the environment. Therefore, an approach to addressing the second skin is to deprive the senses, particularly areas around the ears and eyes as means of achieving personal space.

Deprivation of sound,

Using sectioning to enclose the body as means of achieving sensory deprivation.

design

9

Precedent no.1

An Introvert’s transformation to extroversion_lilian Hoplyte Mushi The designs of Mushi features a pleated hood which changes colour gradually with the fluctuations in body heat. As the wearer becomes shy or embarrassed, their body temperature may increase, causing the hood to turn darker. Mushi was interested in the way that introverts find solidarity as a way to navigate social situations and designs a garment to heighten the effect of isolation.

While achieving isolation is one way in which to handle a social situation, Mushi also looks at transforming the wearer from an introvert to an extrovert. Not only should the wearer feel secure in their own skin, they should also be able to interact in a world “designed for extroverts”. The key is to “find a balance between blending in and standing out”.

Mushi’s designs are interesting because the emotions of the wearer such as embarrassment is visible for others to see.

However, this in turn manifests an emotional effect on the viewer and those around them.

The viewer himself or herself might feel an increase sense of confidence knowing that their social identities are protected by the garment. This way, they are able to disguise themselves, becoming more overt. The colour change becomes a visual representation of ‘blending in’. The audience on the other hand, might be drawn to the wearer but the colour

change and subtle tones of the design creates a soothing sight. Perhaps this attraction towards the garment will help the wearer break out of their comfort zone. By balancing fear with the confidence to continue engaging with the environment, Mushi’s design allows the introvert to become more like an extrovert.

Precedent no.2

Atmospheric Re-entry_Maiko Takeda Similar to the material system of profile and section we have chosen for this project of the second skin, Takeda also uses profile and section in her headpieces. Her designs feature numerous acrylic spikes that are tinted with colour at the base and tips and attached them to small silver rings which hold the whole piece in place. The first headpiece dominates the space around the ears and part of the front and behind the head. This not only creates a sense of fear in the audience, but also allow for the wearer to retain sight. The upper right image shows a mask design which covers both the ears and eyes. From Takeda’s designs, it can be seen that sectioning can create interesting aesthetic effects and it’s density also allows space to experiment with visuality.

It can be noted that the silver rings used to hold the headpiece become part of the design seamlessly. This is an interesting juxtaposition of materials but works well visually. Perhaps the sectioning of the acrylic pieces, especially in blue and turquoise piece help distribute the weight of the whole piece evenly. These are ideas that can be explored and tested through the designing process of our second skin.

design one sensory deprivation and Tubes

Conceptual sketch of using tubes in design

In the initial design, our main focus was around the ears and the deprivation of sound. Taking inspiration from the precedents and musical instruments, the designs both encapsulate the head and focuses inwardly on the wearer. In both cases, the wearer becomes a little less aware of their surroundings.

It was useful in the conceptualisation of our early designs with the consideration of musical instruments. Musical instruments function by their ability to manipulate sound waves in order to distort and produce sound. One instrument that was considered is the pan pipe. The idea of tubes to divert sound led to the idea of using tubes as sectioning in our project. The instrument is sealed from the bottom and

Pan pipe

allows sound to resonate through the top of the instrument. To provide greater resonance and volume, the top of each tube is concave. The basis of our second skin project will therefore combine the functionality and geometrical aesthetics of tubing to achieve sensory, in this case, sound deprivation and distortion.

In order to create a sense of isolation and deprive the wearer of sound, there is a large earpiece around the head to encapsulate the head and long tubes attached to the ear piece to divert sound. The idea behind the tubes is a metaphor for the way people tend to wrap their arms around themselves or cross their arms. By allowing the tubes to wrap around the arms and body, any movements by the subject will appear more obvious and gestural.

Earpiece

Measuring Personal Space In order to test out the effects of our initial design, our personal spaces were measured, The aim was to measure how far our personal space extended and we hoped to further investigate how behavior might change depending on distance between a person and their ‘intruder’. It was found the Aïsha moves her arm a lot at elbow height and more frequently as the intruder approached.

This may be due to a sense of discomfort and awkwardness that can be felt as the intruder approached.

Aïsha has a arm span of 150cm and a shoulder to shoulder span of 40cm. As can be seen, the personal space that Aïsha creates around herself is quite small.

From the measurement of our personal spaces, it was found that the closer the intruder was, the more often we looked away. Additionally, our gestures were more evident such as gesturing outwards or occasionally touching the face. It can be seen from the second measurement that the area I was able to claim as my personal space is quite small.

This image shows the subject avoiding the gaze of the intruder and even occasionally move their head or from side to side to shift their orientation away from the intruder.

From these measurements of personal space, it can be seen that eye movement, arm movement and shifting of position are important factors to consider in the designing of the second skin.

Ted talk_thomas heatherwick The TED talk given by Thomas Heatherwick (Heatherwick 2011) was really influential in the development of our second skin from the first design to the second. Heatherwick in his designs strive to use materiality as a way to introduce soulfulness. One of the most important points that Heatherwick raised is that in design, have one thing instead of everything.

For example in the British pavilion at the World Expo, Heatherwick and his team focused on showcasing plant seeds. The finished product and its induced effects interrelate with what it is trying to represent, nature. The pavilion itself is the exhibition.

I think that this methodology is useful in focusing the specific experience we wanted to achieve with our second skin. That is, to focus on sound deprivation and/or distortion to create a sense of isolation. Focusing on these two points, design two aims to heighten and emphasis these effects and hope to reflect this in the aesthetics of the design.

Design two Drawing inspiration from Heatherwick’s TED talk and our findings in the measurement of personal space, our main concept for design Two is to create a series of sections using stockings to envelope the head and body as a means of heightening the sound deprivation and isolation effect.

Material The choice of material is very important in our design. Not only will the choice of material inform the aesthetics of the second skin, it will also play a determining role in the success of sound deprivation and distortion.

For design Two, stockings and newspaper were chosen for their insulating qualities. The material used in stockings is very versatile and its shape is easy to manipulate allowing the control of thickness of the sections and length by stretching it to various degrees. The newspaper was scrunched up and stuffed in to the stockings to create an insulating barrier to distort sound. The sections are held in place by metal rings inspired by the designs of Takeda.

Conceptual sketch of design effects

Findings While the newspaper and stockings create an interesting effect that could potentially instill a sense of fear in intruders, it was found that the newspaper did not really distort sound as well as initially thought. The stockings however worked well and the sections enveloping the head and those wrapped around the body was successful in evoking a sense of isolation.

The next step in the design process will be to explore different materials to stuff in to the stockings instead of newspaper to better the sound deprivation and distortion effect and also to consider the potential for different configuartions of the stockings on the body.

Design three For design Three, polystyrene beanbag fillings were used instead of newspaper. It was found that not only do the bean bag filling deprive sound better than newspaper, it also makes noise which allows the second skin to successfully distort sound as the wearer moves.

Relating back to our findings in the measurement of personal space, if the wearer feels uncomfortable as an intruder approaches, he or she is able to make use of the second skin to envelope their head. Several arrangements of the stocking were tested to optimise the feeling of isolation and deprivation/distortion of sound. In some arrangements, the wearer will be able to be in their own space without knowing that the intruder is even intruding on their public space. Furthermore, if the wearer continues to be agitated, their movement will be able to make the bean bag filling move in the stockings, thus distorting sound.

Arrangement 1 This configuration focuses primarily on the ears to deprive/distort sound and retaining other senses such as sight. Isolation effect not as obvious because the wearer is not completely enclosed.

Arrangement 2

arrangement 3

Back-plate

Similar to the first configuration, this arrangement focuses on the ears. However again, the isolation effect is not obvious.

Over several testing of the different arrangements of the sections, this design seem to encapsulate our concept and perform the effects we wanted to achieve the best. The headpiece completely envelopes the head, heightening the isolation effect. The wearer is also able to find comfort in the way that the sections drape over and are able to wrap around the body.

To stabilise the second skin on the body, the idea of a back-plate was tested. Sheet metal was chosen as the material because it would provide a contrast in materiality. While the effects were aesthetically pleasing, the backplate did contribute to the main concept of sound deprivation and the idea of isolation.

Assembly drawing

Front View

Side View

Perspective

Top View

Assembly Drawing

Final product

The final design is a development of configuration 2 of design Three and involves a series of stockings filled with polystyrene beanbag fillings sectioned together using wire cables. The cables were wrapped in string to reflect the crosshatching fabrication technique on the stockings. Each individual stocking has the top section cut off resulting in a flower pattern at the back as shown.

These patterns provide an interesting contrast to the pattern created by the stockings being stacked side by side. The flower pattern is the only place on the second skin where the stockings are not stretched, symbolising the easement of tension and fear as a result of isolation. The overall design is successful in that the wearer is unable to detect the presence of an intruder. The wearer is also able to move around (similar to the behavioral findings in the measurement of personal space) to allow the filling to distort sound.

Response to The third industrial revolution The Third Industrial Revolution (Riftkin 2008), discusses the economic models that have been prevalent and have been or is the driving force between a vast array of industries. Regardless of which time period the reading is discussing, it has been made clear that industries depend on an intricate network of manufacturers and users participating in management and signalling roles as per the traditional model of a free market economy. However, with the emergence of new technologies, ways of living and attitudes towards the ever-present desire to live in a sustainable, weather economically, socially or environmentally society, the relationship and interaction between all participants is shifting.

In respect to design, I think the reading has reinforced my view that have been developing in the last 10 weeks. Echoing a previous reading, Architecture in the Digital Age: Design and Manufacturing, new design processes such as 3D printing has allowed designers to be more involved in the manufacturing process.

This is beneficial to designers because I think of of the key essentials in surviving in the industry is uniqueness and usability. Being able to work with suppliers of materials and test of design effects first-hand really informs the design process. This is evident in the prototyping of our second skin, going to warehouse stores and department stores in order to find new materials to test.

Under an old elitist business model, new designers will find it hard to establish independently given barriers of entry and the difficulty of competing against large

companies with already significant economies of scale. In contrast, a collaborative economy will eliminate some of those hardships and makes designers’ products more accessible to potential users at a lower cost. This will perhaps further encourage innovation in the economy to help redistribute capital more evenly across economic sectors and social classes, improving standard of living and sustainability.

An older economic structure may work for more homogenous products such as energy and fuel, but less likely in the type of rapidly growing and innovative design industries we are experiencing the moment.

Response to ‘digital production’ This reading focuses on the novel and digitally realised means of producing curved structures and/or surfaces. It discusses methods based on ‘reverse engineering’ through scanning. It was also pointed out that not only do digital modelling software aid the conceptualisation of projects, it can also be used as a way to realise how the physical form should be constructed. One method is Subtractive Fabrication. This incorporates the use of mills to cut through materials to create component structures which make up a whole. While this method can be deemed precise and flexible depending on the number of axes, it may be time consuming and non-cost effective. On the other hand, additive fabrication is a useful process especially when constructing smooth curves. This process is easy to manipulate using digital modelling programs to determine thickness and curvatures.

Critical analysis The whole designing process of the second skin relied heavily on both craft and computer aided modelling software, Rhino. This type of design process reflects on the architecture field today where architects now have more direct involvement with the fabrication process instead tending to the conceptual aspects of design and leaving the fabrication process to contractors and builders. Marble in ‘Imagining Risk’ (Marble) raises several points concerning craft in designing in architecture today and this will become the basis of critically analysing the design process of the second skin.

Firstly, Marble suggests that craft is closely related to detail. While traditionally craft is the creative and is the ‘designing’ element in the design of buildings, detail could now refer to digitally integrated design. In design One of Module 2, craft was used in the creation of the earpiece. Using tools such as panelling and revolve, different design possibilities can be realised. The further development of this design will see the possibility of printing the component parts using a laser printer, similar to the process that Marble mentions using computer numerical control (CNC) systems.

One of the most important points that Marble makes is that drawings and models are no longer used to represent design “intent”, but used to communicate precise information on how to fabricate and with which material. This idea is at play with the prototyping of design two and three. The process of prototyping is not used to illustrate the design intent but rather, it is used to test how well the material choice and method of fabrication performs those intents.

Looking at arrangement 3 in design 3 (page 20), it can be seen that the model resembles more closely to the rhino model. The digital model communicates our design without the

factoring the physical and material properties of the stockings and beanbag filling. It is the testing of sectioning with the wire cables that informed how the final product should be made. This is reminiscent of the first lecture of the semester when a tree can be modelled on a computer aided software program but it resembles nothing like a real tree until environment factors are inserted.

On the discussion of risk, it is to be avoided at all costs according to Marble. This is to ensure that the optimal and intended structure, aesthetics, financial budget and emotional effects are achieved. In this respect, I think that our second skin project is successful in delivering the intended emotional effect of isolation.

However, the final product as a result from prototyping varies greatly from the computer model aesthetically. This could be the result of not using technology in the fabrication process.

While the basic shape and hierarchal structure exists in the final product, the bending and stretching of the stocking and the cable wires cannot be predicted using Rhino. This is a risk, the inability to transfer knowledge from humans to computers. While it can be acknowledged that computer-aided design is influential and revolutionary in the fabrication process of design today, there is a risk in the flow of information. Risk in the knowledge and ability to use computer modelling software to its full potential as suggested by Riftkin in ‘Distributed Capitalism’ (Riftkin 2011) and risk in the transfer of knowledge from humans to computers as suggested by Marble. These concerns relate back to the reading ‘Lost in Parameter Space’ (Scheurer & Stehling 2011) and therefore the importance of working pragmatically and mathematically even with the prevalence of modelling software today.

Bibilography Heatherwick, T (March 2011) Thomas Heatherwick: Building the Seed Cathedral [Video file] retrieved from http://www.ted.com/talks/thomas_heatherwick.html Kolarevic, B, 2003 “Digital Production” in Architecture in the Digital Age - Design and Manufacturing , Spon Press, London, pp30-54 Marble, S 2008 ‘Imagining Risk’ In P Bernstein, P Deamer (eds). Building the Future: Recasting Labor in Architecture/, Princeton Architectural Press, New York, pp 38-42 Miralles, E, Pinos, C “How to lay out a croissant” El Croquis, 49/50, pp. 240-241 Rifkin, J 2011 “Distributed Capitalism’ in The third Industrial Revolution Palgrave Macmillan, New York pp107-126 Scheurer, F, Stehling, H 2011, “Lost in Parameter Space?”

AD: Architectural Design, vol 81 pp. 70-79 Sommer, R 1969, ‘ Spatial invasion’ in Sommer, R, Personal space : the behavioral basis of design, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, N.J, pp. 26-38

Image References p.8

De Barros Lopes, A 2013, Deprivation of Sound, sketch.

p.10

Mushi, LH 2013, An Introvert’s Transformation to Extroversion, photograph, viewed 20 September 2013, <http://www.dezeen.com/2013/07/02/an-introverts-transformationto-extroversion-by-lilian-hipolyte-mushi/>.

p.10

Takeda, M 2013, Atmospheric Reentry, photograph, viewed 20 September 2013, <http://www.dezeen.com/2013/06/01/atmospheric-reentry-by-maiko-takeda/>.

p.17

De Barros Lopes, A 2013, Conceptual Sketch of Design Effects, sketch.