Booklet: CITA making its a SMALL world

CITA making it’s a small world

Fractal Logic It’s a SMALL world brings together the small and the large, the intimate and the urban.

The fractal order of the exhibition design finds ways of integrating these differing scales while generating its own structures of self similarity and repetition. The crystalline structures are built on a hexagonal grid. As the grid is subdivided the pattern repeats, packing the small and large seamlessly.

Generative Systems The design is developed as a generative system controlled by a set of variable parameters. In contrast to traditional design that defines each element absolutely, generative design is devised as a series of interrelated parameters. The steering of the parameters allows us to ‘grow’ the exhibition scenarios. By controlling the scale, height, slope and direction of the fractal topology, each diamond unit is customised to its own particular size and shape.

Variations leading to triangular elements

Step 1: Defining overall grid 1

2

3

Step 4:

Step 3d: Check current recursion level by measuring size of input geometry

4

Crop pattern

Step 5:

Manipulate control surfaces

Step 6:

Generate structure Step 6a: Loop through input polyLines and check number of vertices

1

242.5 cm

2 35 cm = recurasion level 3 140 cm = recurasion level 1 70 cm = recurasion level 3

121.2 cm

3

4

Step 3f:

Project midpoints on to control surface to investigate possible recursion 3

140 cm 210 cm

1

420 cm

Step 2:

Height Control Surface

2 Step 6b: Step 6c:

Construct control surfaces

Recursion thresholds

Pop/Tilt Mix Control Surface

Check which polylines are within boundary curve using the Jordan Curve Theoremii Create geometry when within boundary curve

Tilt

3 2 1

even odd

Pop

Section control surface

Step 3g:

Step 3:

Create geometry to fill out areas between recursions within diamonds

Edge Position Control Surface

Generate pattern Step 3a:

Loop through overall grid, filter by control surface, and apply pattern by hexagon frame with grid as center Step 3i:

Draw diamonds and triangles

Step 3j:

Call recursive function

Recursion thresholds

2 1

Call recursive function and establish generated geometry as children of overall polyline structure

Recursive process BA

AC

CB

Pattern without drawing elements in the remnants of the recursion

Project mid points and corner points of polylines to height control surface

Step 6e:

Project mid points and to slide/pop mix control surfacesa

Step 6f:

Calculate pop amount and slide amounta

Pop

3

Step 3b:

Step 6d:

Tilt

Step 6G:

Project edge points onto edge height surface

Step 6h:

Calculate pop amount and tilt amount for edge. See 6f

Step 6i:

Force z values to fit required height(s) within senario

Step 6j:

Keep height below limit and fit to limit when close

Step 6K:

Keep structure above ground at fit to ground when close

Step 6L:

Keep edge size within machine limits

Digital Fabrication The generative design system is includes the production of the fabrication drawings.

The diamond units are folded Dibond panels that are CNC milled and plastic welded.

The design system unfolds the panels into their individual patterns. These patterns are used directly as cutting paths creating a file-to-factory digital design chain. As an investigation into non-standardised design and digital fabrication It’s a SMALL world explores how digital chains allow for the emergence of new collaborative practices between architectural design, engineering and fabrication. The project finds new applications for common building materials exploring their detailing and structural logic as well as their design expression and feel.

Growing Architecture Generative structures are all around us.

They appear in nature as systems that structure order and growth and emerge in the structure that govern our cities. As a design strategy generative systems is a means of managing complexity. If industrialisation brought forth a culture of mass production and systemisation, the new digital platforms allows for more complex understanding of serialisation and repeats. These are useful tools in a building practice which is becoming increasingly complex and multilayered. Developing creative strategies for design solutions that engage the specific challenges of a given site, programme and environment, generative design allows real opportunities for more adaptive building practices.