The Cube - Solids vs Voids

The Cube

Assignment 2 - The Cube Solids vs Voids Joachim Daetz WoodProgram - October 2021

Solids vs Voids

Research............................................................................................ 07 Concept Ideas Fold up Slabs. .................................................................................... 11 Forest Feel. ........................................................................................ 13 Micro Wood..................................................................................... 15 Mockup Try Outs............................................................................... 17 Solids vs Voids Concept............................................................................................ 19 3D Models. ....................................................................................... 23 Construction Plans............................................................................ 27 S

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M

PL

I

F

Y

Solids vs Voids Concept............................................................................................ 37 3D Models. ....................................................................................... 39 Construction Plans............................................................................ 41

Content

TimeTable............................................................................................ 49 Lessons Learned.................................................................................. 51 Final Cube.......................................................................................... 53

1 A Skyspace by James Turrell, Photograph Florian Holzherr

3 James Turrell, Skyspace Rice University, Rice Skyspace, Sunset

2 James Turrell First Light, 1989 – 90; 20 etchings in aquatint Installation view © James Turrell. Photo Peter Huggins

6 Seldom Seen, James Turrell.

Ph. Peter Huggins

4 Skyspace © 2017 James Turrell

8 within without, Exterior © 2017James Turrell

7 within without, Interior ©2017 James Turrell

5 Skyspace © 2017 James Turrell

7

James Turrell - Sky Spaces

James Turrell’s artistic medium is light—not paintings that depict light, nor sculptures that incorporate light, but simply light itself. His art offers viewers the opportunity to have unique and intimate experiences with light and to appreciate its transcendent power. Whether through projections, printmaking, or site-specific installations, Turrell’s work is influenced by Quaker simplicity and the practice of going inside to greet the light of revelation.

In the 1960s, Turrell began to experiment with light projections and a variety of installations in which light from the outside penetrated inside, enabling viewers to perceive color within darkened interiors. In some, he cut away parts of the walls to reveal the sky. These cuts evolved into Skyspaces, rooms with sharp-edged apertures in the ceiling that seem to bring the sky down through the opening, almost within reach.

The Color Inside is Turrell’s eighty-fourth Skyspace. Like many others, it is a destination, located on the rooftop of the Student Activity Center.

Though Turrell’s architectural spaces are reduced to the most essential elements, they retain a simple elegance that makes them particularly enticing. The Color Inside is distinctive for its intimate proportions, elegant palette, lyrical lines, and brilliant washes of color that can be experienced during specialized light sequences at sunrise and sunset, causing the sky to appear in unimaginable hues. Also available for observation during the day, the Skyspace offers a quiet, contemplative space for the campus community and visitors.

In naming The Color Inside, Turrell said, “I was thinking about what you see inside, and inside the sky, and what the sky holds within it that we don’t see the possibility of in our regular life.” The space he created encourages the kind of quiet reflection that cultivates attention. Turrell reminds us that not only does light reveal what is around us but it also makes known that which is within us.

“The light that we carry with us makes a difference.”

James Turrell

Research

(source: http://landmarks.utexas.edu/artwork/color-inside)

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9

Gordon Matta-Clark

During the 1970s, Matta-Clark made the works for which he is best known: his „anarchitecture.“ These were temporary works created by sawing and carving sections out of buildings, most of which were scheduled to be destroyed. He documented these projects in photography and film. Although he made interventions into a former iron foundry in Genoa, Italy, in 1973, his first large-scale project has been defined as Splitting (1974). To create this work, Matta-Clark sawed two parallel slices through a nondescript wood-frame house in Englewood, New Jersey, and removed the material between the two cuts. In addition, he cut out the corners of the house‘s roof, which were subsequently shown at John Gibson Gallery in New York. He made similar gestures in some of his photographs, cutting the actual negatives rather than manipulating individual prints.

In Day‘s End (1975), the artist removed part of the floor and roof of a derelict pier in Manhattan, creating a „sun and water temple.“ After he worked undiscovered on the project for two months, the City of New York filed a lawsuit against him; it was eventually dropped. For the Biennale de Paris the same year, he made Conical Intersect by cutting a large cone-shaped hole through two seventeenth-century townhouses, which were to be knocked down to construct the then-controversial Centre Georges Pompidou. In 1976, Matta-Clark created his own controversy. Rather than participating in an exhibition alongside well-known architects as planned, he shot out the windows of the Institute of Architecture and Urban Studies in New York. This act has been interpreted as a protest against the architectural establishment. Interested in the inner workings underneath the visible, he filmed and photographed tunnels, sewers, and catacombs in New York and Paris in 1977, a project aided by a fellowship from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation. https://www.guggenheim.org/artwork/artist/gordon-matta-clark

nce. ne side attached to the paper.

My Concept

After that I fold up the pieces I cut outidea to achieve idea that I am going with for decided to leave that step ideapieces because became to confusing.

My Concept is basedtheonslab a simple operation but richto inwork experience.

Afterout thatinI my foldfinal up the I cut itout to achieve the slab idea that I am going to work with for the whole semester. Furthermore is possible to even out ofpart evenbutmore I side attached My first attempts pagesemester. on the right.

Includingitthe views totoshow the out experiFirst I cut itout geometrical formsfold outthe of acut piece paper leavebutone to the paper. are on thethe whole Furthermore is possible evenhow fold rich the cut part even more but I ence really can be.

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21

decided to leave that step out in my fin My first attempts are on the page on th ence really can be.

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Fold Up Slab

Concept Ideas

Experiencing space on the model, through the help of tectonic actions.

This project was an extremely important project in my studies because I always thought that this is how architecture worked. By experiencing space through the creation of something physical. You can touch, rotate, examine and improve the model, but at the same time it is important to digitally update the floor plans to not lose the sense of scale.

My Concept idea is based on a simple operation but rich in experience.

First I cut out geometrical forms out of a piece of paper but leave one side attached to the paper. After that I fold up the pieces I cut out to achieve the slab idea that I am going to work with for the whole semester. Furthermore it is possible to even fold the cut out part even more but I decided to leave that step out in my final idea because it became to confusing.

It is important to study each model closely to avoid the errors or bumps in the next model. This studio was divided into different stages. The first step was to understand what tectonics means in architecture, this was done using case studies. My example was the Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe. Our professor, Gu Daqing, has simplified the tectonics in architecture into 3 types: slab, stick and block. After studying our examples, the idea was to create a design concept based on the Barcelona Pavilion. I started by cutting and folding paper. This technique lead me to the next stage - materiality. By using different materials, I quickly realized how many possibilities there were. After endless variations, it was important to get back on the ground and regain a foothold in the next stage - simplification. For me, this step of simplification is enormously important because it proofs again and again that less is more.

Next up was the stage of playing with different model materials, this was to show us that cardboard is not the only material and that the materials in real life have textures and characteristics.

13

Forest Feel

A forest is an area of land dominated by trees.[1] Hundreds of definitions of forest are used throughout the world, incorporating factors such as tree density, tree height, land use, legal standing and ecological function.[2][3][4] The Food and Agriculture Organization defines a forest as land spanning more than 0.5 hectares with trees higher than 5 meters and a canopy cover of more than 10 percent, or trees able to reach these thresholds in situ. It does not include land that is predominantly under agricultural or urban land use.[5] Using this definition FRA 2020 found that forests covered 4.06 billion hectares or approximately 31 percent of the global land area in 2020.[6] Forests are the predominant terrestrial ecosystem of Earth, and are distributed around the globe.[7] More than half of the world’s forests are found in only five countries (Brazil, Canada, China, Russian Federation and United States of America). The largest part of the forest (45 percent) is found in the tropical domain (Tropical forests), followed by the boreal, temperate and subtropical domains.[8] Forests account for 75% of the gross primary production of the Earth‘s biosphere, and contain 80% of the Earth‘s plant biomass. Net primary production is estimated at 21.9 gigatonnes carbon per year for tropical forests, 8.1 for temperate forests, and 2.6 for boreal forests.[7] Forests at different latitudes and elevations, and with different precipitation and evapotranspiration[9] form distinctly different biomes: boreal forests around the North Pole, tropical moist forests and tropical dry forests around the Equator, and temperate forests at the middle latitudes.

Higher elevation areas tend to support forests similar to those at higher latitudes, and amount of precipitation also affects forest composition https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forest.

15

Micro Wood

A tracheid is a long, lignified cell in the xylem of vascular plants. Tracheid first named after the German botanist Carl Gustav Sanio in 1863. Used from German Tracheide.[1] There are often pits (also known as pupils or guide holes) or decoratives on the cell walls of tube cells. When mature, tracheids do not have a protoplast. The main functions are to transport water and inorganic salts, and to provide structural support for trees.

In addition, angiosperms use another water transport structure called vessel elements in the xylem , which are smaller than a catheter and do not have a perforation plate; most polypodiopsida are no catheter in the lignin of gymnospermae, only the pipe cells are responsible for the transportation of water. The wood (softwood) of gymnosperms such as pines and gymnospermae is mainly composed of tracheid.

Tracheid may be a single source structure in evolution. The fossil record shows that the tube cells of early plants were S-type, G-type and P-type.

The first two of them were lignified and had holes to facilitate the transportation of water between cells. The latter had wall holes similar to the existing plant tubes, and later more complex wall holes appeared, such as bordered pits on many tracheid, which allowed plants to transport water between tubes while reducing the risk of embolization transmission between tracheid. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tracheid

Fold Up and Down

Forest Feel

Micro Wood

Try outs

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19

Solids vs Voids

Concept

The idea is a result of a few studies I tried prior to this one. I was playing with the idea of how to subtract parts of what a cube makes a cube to the point where it is no longer perceived as a cube anymore.

Furthermore I was facinated with the variety a forest has to offer in natural desity scales. It can appear dark and heavy but also bright and speacous.

The lecture series: “An Introduction to Wood Properties&Products” held

by Mark Hughes introduced me to microscopic pictures of wood. I was surprised about how pourous wood actually is. In “reality” it is not at all as solid/dense as it seems. Balsa wood can even only have a density of 160kg/m3. Which compared to Greenheart Wood with 1055kg/m3 is almost nothing. Meaning that Balsa contains up to 90% air - whereas greenheart only contains up to 30% air.

The axial raceids (in soft wood) and radial parencyma (in hardwoods)on a microscopic level fascinated me. Understanding that there are even vessels in hardwoods - which transport warter throughout the growing part of the tree.

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Block Void 20 Blocks

Block Solid 29 Blocks

Block Full 49 Blocks

22

200mm

200mm

14,2 14,2

3D Models

23

24

25

26

200mm

200mm

14,3 14,3

A

B

A

A

B

B

A

27

The Cube

+

Construction

=

28

Block A

3

14,

14,3

42,9

14,3

7,1

100,0

50,0

28, 6

28,6

14, 3

29

7,1

42,9

30

7,1 7,1

42,9 14,3

3

14,3

14,

3

14, 3

7,1

Block B

7,1

42,9 14,

7,1

50,0

50,0 100,0

31

7,1

28,6

SIMP

PLIFY

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Why?

That’s why....

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Back to the Roots

Solid

Resin Canal (Birch)

Void

Vessel (Pine)

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Solids vs Voids

Solids and voids - ever so present in architecture but also found in nature.

Inspired by microscopic imiges of wood, which unfolded the realities of what lies behind the solid looking material, I was fascinated to discover that wood is acutally quite porous in its cell structure. The images revealed long pipe-like structures in multiple directions.

I wanted to pick up on this phenomenon and tried to simplify 4 cell structures, as seen on the graphic on the left, in a cubic symetric style.

Whereby, two cells having vessel canal like characteristics of hardwoods (solids) and the other two having the resin canal pipes (voids). To stay true to this concept I picked a hardwood (pine) for the vessel canals and picked a softwood for the resin canal pipes (birch) as these

To give some insigths into the microscopic world I will share some facts I learned from the lecture series: “An Introduction to Wood Properties&Products” held by Mark Hughes. Balsa wood can have a density of only 160kg/m3. Which compared to Greenheart Wood with 1055kg/m3 is almost nothing. Meaning that Balsa contains up to 90% air - whereas greenheart only contains up to 30% air.

Solids vs Voids

“Solid is a matter of presence, and Void is absence of it. A solid marks its presence by obscuring some other elements, or at least supporting a myth, if anything is behind it. Voids mean nothingness, like a featureless terrain. Voids exist due to the lack of clarity of detail, deficient perception, peculiar framing or reduced background-foreground contrast.

Solids depend on the form or shape of things, and how these are perceived. Solids are realized by the bounce back, while voids are for diffusion of energy.” (Interior Design Assist - by Gautam Shah)

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3D Models

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Construction

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42

Fact Sheet 8 Block 4xA/4xB

4 Pieces per Block A x4 Blocks (Pine) = 16 Pieces Total

1 Pieces per Block B

200

x4 Blocks (Birch) = 4 Pieces Total

2 Pieces Componant

22 Pieces for the whole cube.

95

10

95

Project: The Cube Plan:

Cube Overview

Status:

Construction Phase

Date:

30.09.21

JOACHIM DAETZ

Page Scale 1:1 Aalto University WoodProgram

1/2

43

Steeps for Paja Workflow 1.) Raw wood selection from piles (5mx50cm) 2.) Cutting down to Mashine useable size (radial arm-saw & table saw) 3.) Use joiner to make 2 even sides (Pit side face up) - usually 5-15mm loss 4.) Use planer to make the other 2 sides even (pit side face down) - usually 5-15mm loss 5.) Use talbe saw to cut into right sizes - remember the blade width in calculations ca.

4mm) same for any project

Cube Specific Workflow 1.) Use planer to get my boards down to 31,6mm & 33,3mm hight 2.) Cut boards with widths 9,5 in an 45°C angle 3.) Cut boards with widths 10 in an 43.54°C and 46.46°C angle 4.) Then in the correct hights (easier for mashines) 5.) Glue together using a band clamp

Project: The Cube Plan:

Cube Isometric

Status:

Construction Phase

Date:

30.09.21

JOACHIM DAETZ

Page Scale 1:2 Aalto University WoodProgram

2/2

44

,6

31

95 ,6

31

100

100

45°

Project: The Cube

00

95

Plan:

Block A- Iso

Status:

Construction Phase

Date:

30.09.21

JOACHIM DAETZ

Page Scale 1:1 Aalto University WoodProgram

1/1

100

45

,6

31

100

33,3

100

95

°

.46

46

95

33

,3

°

.54

43 Project: The Cube Plan:

Block B - Iso

Status:

Construction Phase

Date:

30.09.21

JOACHIM DAETZ

Page Scale 1:1 Aalto University WoodProgram

1/1

46

0

200

100

20

95

10

95

Project: The Cube Plan:

Componant - Iso

Status:

Construction Phase

Date:

30.09.21

JOACHIM DAETZ

Page Scale 1:1 Aalto University WoodProgram

1/1

a)

b)

c)

e)

g)

d)

f)

h)

i)

j)

49

Lessons Learned

Overall Lessons: a) What are important elements of the concept? Which are needed to stay true to the concept and which are unneccessary and should be removed? Make it as simple as possible. b) Things take longer than expected Cube/Workshop Lessons: c) Cut in the biggest pieces possible for as long as possible d) Make sure the mashines are in the correct angles (even 90°) e) Remember blade sizes in calculations f) Make things bigger - so you can sand them down later. The sanding mashine is only 10cm high/my cube was 20cm in total high, so it created a weired cut in the middle. g) Wood breaks easily over the longitudinal axis (if board thickness is 1cm) Remember grain direction in cutting and pressure moments.

i) Respect drying times j) The geometrical middle isnt always the visual pleasing middle.

Lessons Learned

h) Band saw isn’t cutting a flat surface (use table saw)

Tue Thu

14.09.

15.09.

Task Assigned Workshop Orientation

Mo

27.09.

Fix Concept by then

Thu

30.09.

Fixed (updated) Concept & Construction Plans

Fri 24.09.

Rakennuspaja Try outs. Seeing whats possible with our mashines.

Mo 27.09.

Rakennuspaja Cut pieces/Testing Wed 29.09.

Rakennuspaja Cut pieces Fri 01.10.

Rakennuspaja Cut pieces Mo 04.10.

Rakennuspaja Assembly/Cut pieces Wed 06.10.

Rakennuspaja Finish/Assembly Thu

07.10.

Original Deadline

Fri

08.10.

Rakennuspaja

Mo

11.10.

Deadline Extended

Actual Finish! Sanding etc.

Scheduled Unscheduled

51

Timetable

Post-Reflection:

Timetable

Fixing the concept took longer than expected. Due to a testing phase in the Paja, I realized that the pieces I needed for my first construction were too small to be handled by the mashines we had available. Thus, a simplifying session was needed to give the cube a more realistic production schedule but also a more handable size. This simplification, in retrospect, has helped my concept stay more true to the original idea, which makes it stronger in my opinion.

After the concept was finally fixed (3 days behind schedule) I was able to go back into the Paja to start preparing the pieces of the cube. Due to my extended testing phase I already learned alot more about how to cut certain pieces easier and more precise (Thanks to Jaari on this point). One big learning curve was to keep the wooden pieces as big as possible for as long as possible - meaning in my case, cutting off the edges in a 45° angle before further cutting them down into 10cm lengths.

Due to the extention of the deadline, I was able to relax abit more and try out one or more things before executing them on the final model.

That helped to keep the cube as percise as possible (which of course is still, after all these considerations, far from being perceise). My cutting pieces process was delayed, because of the earlier revisiting of my concept idea.

After that, I think everything went more or less according to schedule. I thought I would need 3 Cutting Sessions and 2 Assembly Session at Paja which where granted to me thanks to the deadline extention. With the new date I was able to finish the cube one day ahead of schedule, which now gives me time to write this report in peace.

All in All, I believe I had a good grasp on the production period of my revised cube, after understanding that this Assignment with its short deadlines also takes into account the level of difficulty one chooses of the compelxity of the cube. The more simple it is, doesnt mean the more easy it is to build, but the more complex it is definitley means the more complex it is to build. So for next time I will try to keep it simple, true to my original idea and realistic in terms of the time we are provided with.

Final Cube

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Assignment 2 - The Cube Solids vs Voids Joachim Daetz WoodProgram - October 2021