RESEARCH
Wind Flow Simulations Aurodesk CFD
Solar Radiation Simulations
Ladybug - Grasshopper
Project Visualization
Render by Ayelen Franceschini
GARDEN ANTHROMES
Research Project with the Bartlett School of Architecture
Research project developed with Dr. Marcos Cruz, Dr. Brenda Parker, Guillem Peruxet, Ayelen Franceschini, Jingyuan Meng, Satyam Gyanichandani, Yifan Shi and Pradeep Devadass, from the Bio-ID community.
Landscape project involving the 3D printing of large scale soil ‘anthromes’, anthropogenic biomes for soil remediation, designed for a brownfield site in East London.
These structures will act as a display of a set of plant species currently present in the site, help with the analysis of the bioremediation potential of said species, and finally degrade back into the ground.
This project explores the possibilities and complications that the scaling up of a 3D printing process with a soil based material bring, as well as the potential of the use of biologically based polymers in soil construction.
London, UK 2023
The toolpath was programmed to alternate between a ‘pickup’ plane and a ‘place’ plane, to sequentially pick up bullets and place them in the workspace to assemble the structure.
A specially designed end-effector was fabricated with the help of Design for Manufacturing MArch students Dianxiong Qu and Chun Liu.
The structures were printed on campus on recycled pallets and transported to the site on trucks.
UR-10 robotic arm and pneumatic end effector used
Robotic assembly of structure
Assembled structures, awaiting transportation
Video footage by Nicholas Bennett
Opposite Page: Dr. Marcos Cruz & Dr. Brenda Parker on site.
Weathered Garden Anthrome pictures by Marcos Cruz.
TERRA EX-MACHINA
Bio - Integrated Design MArch - Y2 Project
London, UK 2022
Project developed within the specialization module of the Bio-ID MArch.
Research conducted on robotic fabrication with a soil + biopolymer material.
Impact printed structures were produced with a UR-10 robotic arm and a pneumatic end effector, designed to position discrete soil units and impact them into place.
This project explores the possibilities that the use of biologically based polymers in improved soil mixes could bring in the framework of impact printing as a fabrication and construction method, with the goal of producing self-supporting structures in complex threedimensional geometries, built with non-pollutant, programmable and biodegradable soil mixes.
C2
Raw Soil
Biopolymer Treated Soil
Solar Radiation Simulations
Ladybug - Grasshopper
With the goal of testing the possibilities of the impact printing robotic fabrication process, and the potential of the soil+biopolymer mix, a set of iterations of self shading structures were produced. These iterations were informed by solar radiation simulations and structural simulations.
Double layered structures were produced, with an ondulating gesture that produced different degrees of self shading.
The structures were printed with the help a segmented box structure, and dry soil was filled around each printed layer, to act as an adaptable formwork while the material dried. Multiple walls were printed until the optimal material and toolpath parameters were achieved.
HC3
Structural Stress Simulations
Karamba - Grasshopper
Wall sections were printed with construction grade topsoil, with a clay content of approximately 14%. A particular biopolymer was added to the soil before forming the units (bullets), and through the Impact Printing (3D Printing) process wall sections were produced with complex three-dimensional expressions.
Structural stress simulations were produced with the Karamba plug-in for Grasshopper/Rhino, that proved instrumental to the trial and error process.
Through careful calibration of the process, informed by environmental and structural simulations, stable 3D printed soil structures were achieved, with enhanced water resistance and mechanical properties.
BUILD UP, BREAK DOWN, GROW ANEW
Bio - Integrated Design MArch - Thesis Project
Project developed with Bio-ID MArch students Itamar Lilienthal and Laetitia Morlie.
Situated in Tijuana, at the border between Mexico and the United States, this project was designed to contribute to soil ecosystems resilience by developing biologically active soil constructions that contribute to the survival and release of cells into the ground for plant-bacteria symbiosis (and soil health).
The buildings were conceived around the use of multimaterial soil 3D printing as the main construction method, particularly impact printing with a biopolymer enriched soil mix, in a material gradient that would allow for certain specific sections of the buidings to degrade (“die”) and release plant-growth enhancing bacteria into the surrounding area. Through the control of the biopolymer ratio within
London, UK 2023
the soil material, sectios of the building were “programmed” to degrade, while others were designed to prevail.
Through the controlled degradation of the building, and the subsequent release of the PGPB, some of the plant species found in the estuary north of the border would be reintroduced into the Los Laureles settlement.
The allocation of the degradable and non degradable materials in the production of the building were informed by environmental and structural simulations.
This project capitalizes on a dynamic that is often overlooked in architectural projects, the death of a building, and embraces it as part of the life cycle of the structure.
Overview from the north Render by Itamar Lilienthal
Structures were produced from a set of initial curves, offsetted and copied with a determined height, to form a compressive A-frame type structure.
The code was designed to allow a high degree of control of each of the component curves, with the purpose of producing a precise ondulating pattern on the main walls, to allow for the iterative testing of structural stability and self shading properties.
Angle constraint iterations Grasshopper/Rhino
A section of the code was produced to analyze the angle of the walls according to a maximum estimate informed by the fabrication process. Visual cues and automated annotations helped expedite the iterative process.
Circle packing pattern Grasshopper/Rhino
As a guide to organize the elements on the site, a circle packing pattern was produced with attractor points, using the building position as well as the vernal pools as the attractors, producing variations on the radius of the circles and, consequently, subspaces. A non-regular grid.
Overview from the north Renders by Itamar Lilienthal
Robotic assembly of structure
Multi-material models were printed using a UR-10 robotic arm and a specially designed end effector, using two main material mixes, one treated with a biodegradable polymer and one with a high clay content, which represents the degradable material that would release the plant growth promoting bacteria.
A section of code was written to separate the targets of both materials for the printing process, through the use of a point-in-brep analysis process.
Tests were conducted to assess the water resistance of the printed structure, since the main erosion source would be rainfall and moisture absorbed through capilarity. The biopolymer treated bullets proved to be quite water resistant, while the clay based bullets showed the predicted degradation. Thermography confirmed the distinct water absorption behavior of the two materials.
Water erosion and bacterial release tests conducted by Laetitia Morlie
Project render Illustration by Itamar Lilienthal
PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Input Information
CAD plan of the proposal + Topographic Map
Processing
3D topography production and CAD plan overlay
Output
3D visualization of project
Input
Processing
Plot selection and input of occupation parameters:
-Total plot area
-Unbuilt area %
-Total buildable area
-Single or double facade
-# of floors allowed
-Total building height
Activa Holding - Private Commmision
Processing
Plot analysis and adjustments:
-Plot topography and slope angle
-Main facade setup
-Reference level adjustments
-Building orientation
Lima, Peru 2024
Plot Automated Analysis Tool (P.A.A.T.), is a tool I developed for the computational analysis and design process of a series of real state projects developed by Lares Real State, a peruvian company part of the Activa Holding Group.
With the purpose of assessing the design quality of the occupation proposals developed by the technical design area of the company, and consequently producing the design and construction parameters for 7 real state projects in Lima city, this tool was designed to rapidly produce 3D visualizations of the projects, and to test the prospective parameters of each one of these projects, with diverse topographical and environmental conditions.
Grasshopper Script
CELAYA’S NEW CATHEDRAL
Celaya, Mexico
Client: Archidiocese of Celaya
Responsibilities:
Conceptual Design
Project Design
Project developed as a part of the project development team of Gaeta-Springall Architects, for the New Christian Cathedral of Celaya, awarded by competition to the firm in 2015.
I was involved in the conceptual design and the technical development of this project, developed in close collaboration with the Archidocese.
National Competition - First Place 2016
Gaeta-Springall Architects
CUERNAVACA RAILROAD LINEAR PARK
CDMX, Mexico
Client: Mexico City
Responsibilities:
Conceptual Design
Project Design
Project developed as a part of the conceptual design and competitions team of GSa. International competition won in 2017, to design a 4.7 km long park across the north west sector of Mexico City, along the old tracks of the Cuernavaca Railroad.
International Competition - First Place 2017
Gaeta-Springall Architects
I participated in the conceptual design for the competetion, as well as in the technicel development of the project after receiving the commision, as well as in the signage design.
TEC MONTERREY CENTRAL PARK
Client: Tecnológico de Monterrey
Responsibilities:
Project Coordination
Conceptual Design
Project Design
Project developed as project coordinator for GSa. National competition won in 2017, to design the Central Park of the Ciudad TEC master plan for the Tecnológico de Monterrey Campus in Monterrey.
I was involved in this project as Coordinator, working on the conceptual and technical design of it until December 2018.
National Competition - First Place Monterrey, Mexico 2017
Gaeta-Springall Architects
Client: City of San Isidro, Lima
Responsibilities: Conceptual Design
PAZ SOLDÁN PLAZA
National Competition - Honorable Mention
National competition for the design of a small square in the district of San Isidro, in Lima city. Designed with architects Nadia Cabrera, Juan Pablo Calderón, Ariana Valcárcel, Vittorio Zolezzi in collaboration with artists Noah Alhalel and Pierina Seinfeld.
Lima, Peru 2018
HIGH PERFORMANCE SCHOOL - PIURA
Piura,
Ministry of Education
Project Execution: Banco de Crédito del Perú
Project Design: De la Piedra Arquitectos
Responsibilities:
Agreement Coordination
Project Design Supervision
Project supervised as agreement coordinator and design supervisor for the Work for Taxes team of the National Educational Infrastructure Program (PRONIED) of the peruvian Ministry of Education. Project for the High Performance School of city of Piura.
