A Mobius Process: Digital Dimensions by Emrecan Gulay

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Section title

Digital Dimensions

by Emrecan Gulay

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Digital Dimensions

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CSA Research Report

Project Details Project Lead:

Emrecan Gulay

Design Participants:

UCA MA Architecture, Sam Mc Elhinney , MUD Architecture David Di Duca, BAT Studio, London

Title:

Digital Dimensions

Type:

Public Installation

Location:

UCA Canterbury, Kent/United Kingdom

Project Dates:

4 July - 25 August 2016 Show Build 26 August 2016 Structure open to public

Design Period:

27 May - 30 June 2016

Budget:

£450

Support:

Arpandora AR-VR. New York

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Digital Dimensions

Section title

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Research Agenda and Process Overview Among architects and designers there’s a wide spread curiosity why curved structures appear more aesthetcially pleasing than structures consisting of steep, cornered geometries. Many years of neuroscientifical experiment revealed that unlike cornered Euclidian geometries, curved geometries give people a sense of security and a lack of threat (Hildebrand 1999). In this research my aim was to discover the relationship between digital and analog design , testing and manufacturing to construct complex loop structures made from laminated plywood strips.

The final installation will be completed by the technical information

extracted from physical and digital testing methods. By bridging the gap between man-made models and digital interpretations, this work is ellaborating the influences of this collaboration on overall aesthetic quality of the design. The goal is to construct complex curved extent that people can interact and explore.

Research Questions 1.

What are the impacts of the technical information obtained by three dimensional scaning or algorithmic translation the physical model on the final built structure ?

2. Can we improve the overall quality of design by the information extracted from tactility of physical models and manipulability of Virtual Reality simulations?

3. By bridging the gap between physical and digital design techniques ,can linear displaced curve surfaces alter people’s cognitive processes of vision to generate aesthetically pleasing architectural spaces?

Fig.01 (previous page) Plywood Installation drawings UCA Canterbury

Research Statement

Significance and Contribution This research uses the reverse engineering method on linear displaced curve surfaces to develop a loop that is extracting both physical and digital feedback to extend the boundaries of the design.

For some designers a ‘flat’manipulation of surfaces on a computer screen can provide significant spatial information. However, it may be lack of the direct tactility of a physically built model. The process of translation from physical realm to digital realm, can create a digital representation of a physical geometry which can be manipulated and tested beyond its formal boundaries.

The experimentation processes included in this report anatomize physical prototyping and digitizing techniques which have significant influances on our visual interpretation of curved surfaces.

Methodologies 1.

A series of physical prototyping experiments and Virtual Reality simulations to observe people’s visual experiences within a spatial composition consisting of linear displaced curve forms.

2. Extracting and testing technical knowledge learnt from the physically built model and re-interpretting it on the digital platform to reproduce various designs.

3. Inverting the relationship between digital information and physical object by three dimensional scanning to manipulate the forms.

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Conducting tests with Virtual Reality on various test subjects to observe the cognitive effects of digitally manipulated three dimensional scan.

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Testing various fabrication and computation techniques such as; Plywood laminating, laser cutting and engraving,

three dimensional and laser scanning , gluing and cross stitch-

ing, parametric modelling with physics simulations, AR-VR simula-

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Digital Dimensions

Design Proposal I’m proposing to construct a complex loop structure attached to the ceiling which people will be able to interact physically and visually. This ligthweight plywood structure will provide people an experience of complex curvature extent that is the final product of a carefully developed digital and physical feedback pattern.

Each piece of plywood stripe is designed individually and engraved by laser cutter from their lamination joints to fit perfectly on eachother. Pieces are laminated to eachother by applying a Polyeurathane glue.

The edges bond by cross stitching method with a strong fabric or a synthetic nylon material to allow the structure to flex and distribute the tension equally.

Laminated plywood is being bent by a high density heat exposure from a heat gun. The complex loop extent will be creating a circulation an interaction pattern within the space it is installed.

This structure can be deployed in any interior environment. It’s a light-weigth and rigid structure that can provide an enjoyable spatial environment.

Key technological outcomes of proposal 1.

The development of detailed fabrication techniques through laser-cut Plywood bending; heating, molding and rapid manufacturing of plywood layers.

2. Developing an innovatine plywood lamination technique to obtain rigid and flexible joints.

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Advancing Virtual Reality simulations for OCULUS Rift and Google Cardboard viewers.

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Development of Algorithmic modelling and physics simulation on Rhino 3D by Grasshopper and Kangaroo plugins.

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Exploration of different three dimensional scanning technolo- gies ; laser scanning, image based scanning.

Fig.02 (right) VR simulation created from the three dimensional laser scanned point cloud data

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Proposal & Context

Design Research Context Field of Work

Work by others

The process reffered as ‘reverse engineering’ is being used by various architects. Then aim of this method is to subsequently extract feedbacks from the physical and digital models to improve the overall design.

The project uses references ranging from Nick Dunn’s research on Digital Fabrication (2012), Su Bu-quin and Liu Dingyuang on Computational Geometry (1989), Grant Hildebrand on the origins of architectural pleasure (1999). A groundbraking research done by Darthmouth College on nature referenced architectural elements and another reseach conducted by Harvard University on cognitive effects of curve surfaces are also originating the foundation of this project.

There are various works in the field including scientific research, technological, artistic and mathematical explorations.

To explore and test the impacts of computational geometry on human perception, the first virtual reality experiment OSMOSE was conducted .

Reverse engineering method was used by Frank Gehry. His world famous projects were being developed by building models and applying the physical feedback to the digital platform.

He believed tactility of a physical model cannot be ignored while developing a project.

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Digital Dimensions

Design Methodologies Exploring 2 mm plywood lamination methods and experimenting with wood surface heat-bending; this process derived rapid prototyping methods and created an understanding of the physical behavior of materials under high levels of compression or tension.

The knowledge that is gained from these experiments embodied various structural ideas and rationalized the geometries.

After this point in the research, an exhaustive experimentation was required to test digitization processes of the physically built

plywood structures. Experiments performed on three dimensional scaning devices originated a testing system which allows manipulations on Point Cloud data following a simulation on Virtual Reality.

Lastly, to bridge the processes between making and digitizing an algorithmic 3D model has been developed. This model was beneficial to generate a physics simulation and testing the loop structure before going under rapid manufacturing.

Critical Design Elements 1.

Heat bent 1.5 mm Plywood sheets, clean-cut by laser cutter.

2. Engraving and sanding plywood for lamination.

3. Cross stitching edges.

4. Individual designs for each plywood stripe.

5. Scaning the physical model with various 3D scanners.

6. Transforming physical model into an algorithmic computer model.

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Process & Methods

Prototyping and testing One of the most challenging part of the project was, finding a rapid prototyping and laminating method to produce linear displaced curve plywood surfaces. Each plywood sheet had to be fitting perfectly to each other and the lamination method had to give a certain amount of flexibility on the structure to prevent fractions under stress.

a. Rapid Prototype Testing Five A1 size thin plywood sheets were laser cut and engraved to obtain an optimal length linear surface to be transformed into a displaced curvature. b. Overlapping and Binding Each plywood piece was carefully overlapped on each other from the engraved joints. In between layers a polyeurathane wood glue was applied and let to dry for 30 minutes. Right after they cling to eachother the joint edges were cross stitched.

Along with the technical aspects of the physical model, lamination joints and edges also needed to be designed to be a part of the concept and design elements.

After weeks of material testing an c. Heat Bending optimal solution was obtained.

After securing the structure and developing a linear form, laminated plywood bent manually within its flexibility threshold.

Stabilized shape was exposed to a heat till the wood becomes pliable enough. The upper edge piece embed and fixed into the linear laser cut opening. d. Cross-stitching Edges

Edges between the laminated surfaces fixated to each other by cross stitching with a flexible fabric material. It holds structure and allows it to flex under tension.

Cross-stitching was applied through laser cut and accurately placed circle cavities over the

Fig.03 (left) Small scale model heat bending testing

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Process Diagram

Fig.13 Process Diagram

Digital Dimensions

Process Diagram

Fig.13 Process Diagram

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Fig.06 (left) OCULUS VR testing with the manipulated form.

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Process & Methods

Fabrication Techniques a. Plywood Sheet

another. On the other hand, it was Plywood is a rigid and lightweight much quicker and precise to set material and its flexibility the stitching holes than drilling. allows us to build complex curvature surfaces. Despite it’s a thin sheet material, when each c. Cross Stitching

piece combined to each other One of the challenges of building it produces remarkably firm a linear siplaced curve surface structures. was to figure out how to connect the curved edges in the most aesthetical way possible. Cross b. Laser Cutting stitching was an efficient and Working with laser cutters appealing way to bind the edges reduced the time of prototyping together. #reverse the design elements and provided a rapid production order. Edges of the cut pieces engraved lightly to set each piece accurately on one

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Process & Methods

Control Systems Various technical and digital control system has been integrated to the project such as;

Computer based algorithmic manipulation system within the physical constraints of plywood.

Plywood lamination tests which enables consturcting larger scale complex structures.

Connecting two components to eachother with flexible ropes to establish a structural stability and a continuous twisting surface. a. Rapid Manufacturing 2mm thick A1 plywood sheets laser-cut based on construction details. Each piece was designed individually to be a subsequent element of the installation.

b. Fixing and Laminating Plywood strips have their own individual fixing details to be able to fit on eachother accurately. Engraved rough surfaces create a stronger grip for the Polyeurathane glue and it reduces the protrusions on the curved surface. To connect two plywood structures and maintain stability flexible fabric ropes was used as a part of the design which also creates a continuous semi-transparent surface. c.Algorithmic Manipulation Plywood strips has been modeled piece by piece to establish a control system for geometrical manipulations. As seen on Fig.10 each algorithm is representing an individual strip of plywood.

This control mechanism provided opportunity to improve the quality of design and to increase overall complexity of the installation. With the information gained from this process an improved version of the model has built. d. 3D Scanning Tests Laser and photography based 3D realtime scanning technologies has tested to transform the physical model to a digital model. Digitized model is manipulated into a bigger scale and tested on VR.

Fig.09-10-11 (far left) Algorithmic manipulation.

Fig.12-13 (left)Final installation engraved and laser-cut pieces before lamination.

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Fig.11 Speculative occupation drawing

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Process & Methods

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Occupation and Interaction Within the installation site, visitors will be able to observe the fabrication details by physically and visually interacting with the complex plywood structure.

People will comprehend the relationship between analog and digital design ,testing and manufacturing. The aim is to create a space which will arouse curiosity and a motive for a pleasing aesthetical exploration.

understand the transformation processes of digital information to a physical realm. Simulation will give people a chance to interact with the structure in a virtual dimension.

Engraved plywood lamination method performed succesfully on constructing complex structures.

The construction techniques which are developed within the manufacturing process can be An additional algorithmic VR scaled up and be applied to any simulation of the structure will architectural scale. be beneficial for people to

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Occupation and Interaction

Fig.12 Interaction Drawing

Elevation

Digital Dimensions

Review of Outcomes

Dissemination and Future Work This work will take part in various exhibitons including UCA MA Show 2016. A publishing report will be sent to academic publishers within the subjects of digital fabrication, reverse engineering, architecture, interior architecture and virtual reality simulations. The project will anatomize the collaboration between analog and digital design methods, and how this method can be applied to a variety of concepts.

This work conveys a considerable knowledge about manufacturing and digitizing lightweight, complex structures. My wish is to improve my project to make a conbtribution for exciting technological enhancements within the architectural practice.

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Fig.15 (left) First testing with the improved lamination technique.

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Materials and Suppliers List Plywood (from Timberite, Canterbury, 01227 765011)

KOSKISEN plywood sheets ,1.5mm 3 Ply BR/BR EXT 1631

www.koskisen.com Made in Finland Fabric (from Crafts & Home, Canterbury)

30 m Back Color Elastic fabric rope

PolyeurathaneWoodAdhesive30M(fromTimberite,Canterbury,01227

765011)

750g 30 minutes 52489

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Appendix

Bibliography

Nick Dunn (2012). Digital Fabrication in Architecture. London: Laurance King Publishing Ltd. . 124-125.

Grant Hildebrand (1999). Origins of Achitectural Pleasure. London, England: University of California Press Ltd.. 15-72.

Vollers, K. (2001).Twist & build. Rotterdam: 010 Publishers, 91-117

Kolarevic, B. (2003).Architecture in the digital age. New York, NY: Spon Press.

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Credits MA Architecture Course Leader: Sam McElhinney, MUD Architecture MA Architecture Design Tutor: David Di Duca, BAT Studio

Will Alsop, All Design Hanif Kara, AKT II Jonty Craig - BAT Studio Alper Guler - Arpandora AR-VR Gem Barton - University of Brighton Jon Hodges - Bare Conductive Guy Woodhouse - Piercy & Co. Charlotte Bocci - Ian Chalk Architects David Lomax - Waugh Thistleton Architects Fiona Zisch - University of Westminster Clemens Plank - University of Innsbruck James Whitaker - Whitaker Studio Kevin Kelly - Pringle Richards Sharrat Tetsuro Nagata - Nissen Richards Studio Elizabeth Upham - MUD Architecture Ruth Lang - Studio ARG Shumi Bose - Blueprint Verity Jane Keefe - The Mobile Museum

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