Catherine M. M. Zanardi Making Intelligence 2016
Who Are You? jan 14 Translating Bits to Atoms jan 21 Do Bend, Fold, or Mutilate jan 28 A Relationship in Balance feb 4 POPsegrity feb 11 EGGologics feb 18 Transformer feb 25 Hard Where? Soft Where? mar 21 Once Removed mar 21 What’s Your Problem? mar 31 The Role of Making apr 25 Folding Screen may 11
WHO ARE YOU? JAN 14
project posed a question which I could only answer simply and instinctively with my initials. as a child of four, everything has been marked by my initials from my l.l.bean backpack to my chores list to my contact name in my mother’s iphone. the design resulted from strict guidelines in rotation, spacing, and shape to form a figure-ground.
handle design was in response to the stamp created by the logo of the previous obstacle. the handle was designed as an extrusion of the figureground, playing with the proportions I had liked in the stamp. layering was used to build the handle, which led to issues in by an inability to make the flush bottom required for the stamp.
TRANSLATING BITS TO ATOMS JAN 21
using a pack of card to hold a plywood block, 10” from the wall, proved more difficult than i could handle. i tested card connected before i designed the holder itself in hopes that the connections could inspire the final form. the chosen connection pierced a hole through the cards - “alice goes down the rabbit hole.”
my cards did not support the plywood block well - in fact my cards did not support themselves well. a second appendage was hurriedly attached to keep the band from sinking in the center from the block’s weight. many of the issues in the design are derived from the fact that the prototypes i had tested were not scalable or expendable.
DO BEND, FOLD, OR MUTILATE
JAN 28
project idea developed from initial sketches demonstrating ideas on affect and quality of the proposed connection piece. design focused on extenuating lightweight and chunk connections. manipulation of the block and interchangeability of the pieces were inspired by architect jean prouvĂŠ who designed with pieces which could be rearranged on site
A RELATIONSHIP IN BALANCE FEB 4
tensegrity occurs when 3d structures are comprised on members under tension and members under compression, with those separate groups touching only at endpoints. two designs were developed to hold a soup can 10� above the ground; one barely counted as utilizing tensegrity and the other even less so.
the first iteration used popsicle sticks to lean on each other like a tent. wire strung across the legs holds the soup can, whose added weight stabilizes the structure, the second iteration used both tension in string and compression in the popsicle sticks. the structure stands with the added weight of the soup can on top the string which bridges the popsicle legs.
POPSEGRITY FEB 11
early tests for the egg drop focused on material and distance of drops the egg could withstand without cracking on impact. a final plea for egg safety landed on a material switch to pantyhose, which was soft and yet sturdy enough for the egg to drop onto it and still roll to the next drop. the pantyhose ramps were containted within a chipboard tower.
elements of delight were added with circles cut into the chipboard, revealing the painted interior and the egg’s journey through the tower. pattern and color differentiated amongst the panels. the drop was performed in front of a kindergarten class - whose smart students recognized how the colors and shape revealed the path on the tower’s facade!
EGGOLOGICS FEB 18
iphone holder made to be deployed and collapsed at the will of the user to be transported and propped up for use. the holder’s bottom piece opens into two frames which hold the top, front face in angle. the phone sits on the created ledge. also made as if cut from one piece. connections were hinged and tested capabilities of the 3d printer.
a second iteration curved the line of the bottom duo-piece to allow for longer bottom pieces. these could then create a better angle for the phone to rest on. cuts into the piece followed the division line from the bottom duo-piece to create a designed perforations in the holder as well as achieve material conservatory when 3d printing.
TRANSFORMER
FEB 25
plaster mold to be interchangeable to create numerous different tiles. design became the physical version of the “interpolatedcurve� of computer aided drawing programs. tubes can interchange holes to transform in two directions, collectively changing the connected curve. plastic laid on top of the mold gave the final dried tile texture.
HARD WHERE? SOFT WHERE?
MAR 21
plaster mold created from interchangeable pieces which could then be vacuum-formed as different iterations. idea inspired by maya lin’s exhibition “three ways of looking at the earth,” which spliced topography surface from the grand-canyon into blocks. when changing the topo of the grand-canyon, the spaces between the blocks allow the eye to imagine the infill to render the topo realistic.
the vacuum-form process changed the look of the different tiles drastically. hotter plastic with increased pressure molded well to the individual blocks, creating a better replica of the form underneath. plastic that was not as heated or pressurized molded softer over the form, creating a better rendering of the intention to rearrange the grand-canyon into new topography.
ONCE REMOVED
MAR 21
my problem is that i am never heard, especially in class where i am constantly asked to speak louder. to remedy this issue i hand cut a megaphone for myself; black and sleek on the outside and colorful and playful on the inside. project designs to advance this idea would be a stand to keep on my desk, to have handy in class, or a prosthetic piece to follow jawline.
WHAT’S YOUR PROBLEM MAR 31
Contemporary design has goals; it begins with a question and, with the privilege of advanced technology and methods, it can arrive at a final solution. This process requires cycles of input and output influencing each other to return closer results, each step getting closer in direction and detail to an eventual solution. It is important that multiple completed cycles are involved in the process of invention, allowing prototyping to inform iterations. In the past, a building or building element would be conceived, created, and delivered to the world. Feedback would return to designers years later in the form of visible signs of wear or user dissatisfaction. For example, Richard Johnson’s idea for the glass house was beautiful in concept, yet caused unexpected issues in performance. Complete glass facade caused overheating and glare within the house, later remedied by added curtains - a hurried reaction to the architectural failure, which compromised the integrity of the artistry. In comparison, the Pittsburgh PNC tower, similar by nature of a total glass facade, was able to test the effects of the glass by use of prototyping and testing. A mock-up of an office corner was made to undergo simulation of sun and weather with respect to multiple factors, including glare, heat gain, and work flow. Simulation and evaluations of mock-up computer generated or prototyped designs can answer questions that, in the past, would only be answered after a design had been made and used. Is it efficient? Is it enjoyable? Does is it even work? Answering these questions after being officially built, produced, and released to the public creates a prolonged and messy feedback loop. The role of making and fabrication allows for the field of architecture to remove itself from the stagnate and private world of paper architecture. Formatting the innovative ideas of contemporary architecture as bound by page, displayed only by private letter or magazine prints, condemned the field of architecture to living only within itself. Design development that uses fabrication tools and processes involving technology opens contemporary architecture to collaborate with other fields of study and practice. A symbiotic relationship is then formed between the field of architecture and those that it begins to interact with. The technologies and studies on the prototyped parts of a design allow for the influences of the contemporary world to return to architecture. The outreach of architecture to the world by means of sharing the design process and invention allows for other fields to benefit from its advances. The exhibition of the International Style by Hitchcock and Johnson in 1932 was the first major attempt at collecting and engaging artifacts of the then current work of the composite effort of the field of architecture. It spoke to trends and comparisons on a range of architectural scales from detail to urban development and is accredited for the early century redirection of work within the field of architecture as well as the first successful attempt at showcasing the ideas of modern architecture to the public and other specialties. Mario Carpo writes on the importance of collecting feedback as a field to progress design, claiming that “changes too often or too randomly may mean less individually taken,” and that advancement must be for the whole field to utilize or the advancement “may in the end lose meaning.” His ideals to bring closer to different fields for a unified effort speak directly to architects reaching out amongst other professions for fear of a “growing gap between thinkers and makers.” The field of architecture is comprised of those who practice and study architecture and the amalgamation of the architectural designs they produce. The current practice first taught to those studying architecture is to flatten all creations to two-dimensional representation by plan, section, elevation, or diagram. Every detail about the built form, the final form, is reduced to pen on paper. Physically making the developments of the design, whether models or detail mock-ups, better connects the architect to what the design truly is. Causing the design process to interact with making would therefore change what the design can be, returning improvements in material, structure, form, and detail.
THE ROLE OF MAKING APR 25
[prompt: what is and what should be the role of making, design fabrication, prototyping, etc. in contemporary architectural design development?]
folding screen had to comply to certain guidelines: 60x40” when deployed collapse to at least half its size have a public and private side be able to be carried by maker be deployable in < 1 minute house the five required books materials used: mdf, twine string, canvas fabric, nails, eye-screws
FOLDING SCREEN
MAY 11
the final design originated from an idea to crank up the screen to full mast. the original concept drawings for this idea had the screen attached to a thin metal rod by wire, able to be cranked to full mast when desired. when adding the requirement of public and private distinction, the tower rotated to the back for a private experience when deployed.
the material choice of mdf slowly changed the shape to become more sturdy by widening at the bottom. the requirement of housing books thickened the width of the tower as well as added shelving - this led to a playful truss design cut into the tower. the curtain changed from accordion folded paper to fabric which allowed more movement.
several design ideas were created for the design of the folding screen project. initial ideas focused on movement; making the â&#x20AC;&#x153;foldâ&#x20AC;? of the screen drive the design and direction of the project. one design used an origami fold as inspiration for folding large pieces of triangulated wood. the seams would have to be hinged instead of folded due to material.
another design was large sheets of accordion-folded paper to open like batwings to a fully deployed position. the detailed connection would be a system of rotating slabs on a central peg to allow for variability in height and shape. the rotating slabs would serve purpose to either act as base, the rotation, or to lock the slabs to different heights.
one design focused on an idea of looping a rain hose through the beams of the screen to allow for one watering process to water an entire wall of plants. the form would be comprise of two pieces assembled intertwined. the pieces could close and open to different widths and depths while all the time interlocking as one screen.
another design worked with an idea of slabs of material lifting up and locking into place, one by one, to allow for adjustable heights. the pieces would connect with an accordion-fold paper between slabs, which would open when the slab was lifted into place or fold neatly into itself when the slab was deployed and stacked. I tested the rotating lock detail as well as the overall form of the screen design.
Catherine M. M. Zanardi Making Intelligence 2016