0615_2021 Portfolio REVIEW by Claire Smith

Claire M Smith Graduate Portfolio

Claire M Smith 317.696.6978

drasesmith@gmail.com

instagram@ jsmitharch

LMN Work

Shop Manager Work

Food Truck Housing Housing Studio

Additive Manufacturing 3D Printed Instillation

Delighted Strata

Floating Housing Studio

Woven Wooden Screen

Material and Method Study

SandForm

Graduate Thesis Project

LMN Work Models, Mock-ups, and More

Date

Summer 2018- Summer 2020

Firm

LMN Architects, Seattle, WA

Title

Shop Manager

Running the shop at LMN allowed me the opportunity to interact with nearly every project in the office, and at different stages of projects. From initial programming schemes to mockups for projects under construction, I was involved with a wide array of programs and design needs.My knowledge and experience in the shop helped teams to understand what they needed to ask for in their specifications, along with ideas on how to implement details, and how to better communicate our design intention to contractors. The part I enjoyed most, however, was engaging with my peers and getting others interested in the making process. I gave workshops on how to use all the machines in the shop, along with basic tutorials on how to think while operating the CNC machine with some easy drawings to start with. It was immensely rewarding seeing work that I was involved with be implemented into our built projects, but it was just as rewarding watching others get excited about fabrication and take those lessons back to their workstations.

UCI Facade Panel Study I was tasked with milling several 1:1 sample patterns for a facade installation, narrowing it down from 4 to 1 for the contractor to make a test piece out of the chosen design.

Selected pattern prototype.

First panel being installed on facade.

Sample done by contractor testing our proposed design and suggested material.

View from construction site at the installed panels.

Washington State Convention Center Ceiling Mock-ups We worked with a local artist to design and fabricate the patterns derived from native tree cells. These patterns would be projected on one of the main walkways through the new convention center.

Viewing milled patterns on our prototype built entirely in-house.

A closer look at one proposed pattern from the cells of an Oak tree.

A closer look at one proposed pattern from the cells of aDouglas Fir tree.

SDCI Project Numbe 6501134

L SLAB

SDCI Approval Stamps

STRUCTURAL SLAB

ANICAL

DUCTS PER MECHANICAL

UT TWOFRAME

WAP

SLOT STL C-2 - UNISTRUT TWOWAY FRAME

WOOD ODULE

9 A753

PANEL FIXTURE L PANEL A MODULE - 5'-0" X 7'-6" WOOD SPCL CLG-4 1 ULAR TO MODULE A735 1/4" = 1'-0" T PANEL

ENLARGED PLAN B MODULE- 7'-6" X 7'-6" WOOD MODULE

STRUCTURAL SLAB

ENSION UMBERTAL E-W

VERTICAL LIGHT PANEL GANTOM LIGHT FIXTURE PLACED ON VERTICAL PANEL SHINING PERPENDICULAR TO ADJACENT PANEL C

5 A753

Submittal

DUCT PER MECHANICAL

X- 2" X 2" ACTUAL DIMENSION DOUGLAS FIR LUMBERHORIZONTAL E-W

HORIZONTAL LIGHT PANELGANTOM LIGHT FIXTURE PLACE ON LOWEST PANEL SHINING UPONLY FOUND ON B-MODULE

DUCTS PER MECHANICAL

B MODULE- 7'-6" X 7'-6" WOOD MODULE

Bid Set

LEVEL 4 180' - 8" Z

ENSION UMBERERTICAL

INFILL PANEL- PANEL INSERTED BETWEEN SEAMS OFAvenue ADJACENT 1600 9th MODULES

LEVEL 5 192' - 0"

SPEAKER PER A/V DRAWINGS

ENSION UMBERTAL N-S

Washington State Convention Center Additi

INFILL PANEL- PANEL INSERTED BETWEEN SEAMS OF ADJACENT MODULES

SLOT STL C-2

SLOT STL C-2 - UNISTRUT TWOWAY FRAME

HORIZONTAL LIGHT PANELGANTOM LIGHT FIXTURE PLACE ON LOWEST PANEL SHINING UPONLY FOUND ON B-MODULE

6 A753

Y- 2" X 2" ACTUAL DIMENSION DOUGLAS FIR LUMBERHORIZONTAL N-S

SPCL CLG-4

LEVEL 3 170' - 7"

A MODULE - 5'-0" X 7'-6" WOOD MODULE

VERTICAL LIGHT PANEL GANTOM LIGHT FIXTURE PLACED ON VERTICAL PANEL SHINING PERPENDICULAR TO ADJACENT PANEL

Z - 2" X 2" ACTUAL DIMENSION DOUGLAS FIR LUMBERVERTICAL

Revisions No. Date

LEVEL 2 159' - 2"

Description

X- 2" X 2" ACTUAL DIMENSION DOUGLAS FIR LUMBERHORIZONTAL E-W

A735

MIXING ZONE SECTION LOOKING NORTH 1/4" = 1'-0"

4 A735

Y- 2" X 2" ACTUAL DIMENSION DOUGLAS FIR LUMBERHORIZONTAL N-S

SPCL CLG-4 COMPONENT DIAGRAM FOR REFERENCE ONLY

Z - 2" X 2" ACTUAL DIMENSION DOUGLAS FIR LUMBERVERTICAL

9.5

Drawn

LEVEL 5 192' - 0"

4 A735

Checked

LMN Proj No

SPCL CLG-4 COMPONENT DIAGRAM

LDC 13033-01

05/31/18

Date

FOR REFERENCE ONLY

WAP Sheet

LEVEL 4 180' - 8"

4 A735

Title

SPCL CLG-4 COMPONENT DIAGRAM FOR REFERENCE ONLY

Mixing Zone Sect and Trays

Sheet Number

LEVEL 3 170' - 7"

9 A753

LEVEL 2 159' - 2"

A735

PARTIAL MIXING ZONE SECTION LOOKING EAST 1/4" = 1'-0"

SPCL CLG-4 ENLARGED PLAN 1/4" = 1'-0"

A735

Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion I was brought into the team to help them fabricate quick model studies for the large Ocean Pavilion. We tried a number of different methods, using laser cutters, CNC, and vacuum forming, but ultimately decided on using rapid 3D printing so we could produce multiple studies a week. Building one by hand took one person weeks, whereas we were able to print one a day after vigorous rounds of experimentation.

Seattle Aquarium model

1 Seattle Aquarium model

30' - 0"

A301

1' - 0"

162

163

8A 3

GDR-05

16' - 6"

TRANSF EXHAUST SHAFT ABOVE

GDR-05

2 A316

3.12 .

135

A553

RR HALLWAY 130

A013

3.02

10 A524

18A

1 A522

A571

STAIR 2 ST2-1

CRAWL THROUGH EXHIBIT

LSS RESERVOIR 166

AD-04 ABOVE

HNDRL - 02

EAST RAMP 103

18' - 0"

SLIDING GATE

1 A571

EQ-59

1 cubic yard FE UP

12' - 0"

1 112A

A311

A201

OHCD-01

TRENCH COVER FOR ELEVATOR CONDUIT

A201

2 A302 5 A201

1 cubic yard

17A b

SOLID WASTE AND RECYCLABLES STORAGE

101C

2 A201

DARKER COLOR OF PAVEMENT UNDER OCULUS. PATTERN AND MATERIALITY TO MATCH AQUARIUM PLAZA

CAB -01 TICKET KIOSKS - 0"

101B

A551

22 A433

23 A433

1 A311

1 SEE 2 / A501 l FOR DETAILED CORAL CANYON PLAN INFORMATION

A302 LINE OF 7' OVERHEAD CLEARANCE

101A

SEE 1 / A510 l FOR DETAILED ARCHIPELAGO PLAN INFORMATION

WEST RAMP WELCOME 102

20' - 6"

HNDRL -

HNDR

A551

EDGE OF RAMP AT FLOOR

A551

ENTRY & TICKETING 101 20 A433

MIGRATION

4 UP

L - 02

HNDR

L - 03

CUST EQUIP STOR 151

A554 12

A553

16' - 6"

151

WORKSHOP 153

4 3

PUBLIC ELEVATOR ELV 3

6 A201

BUILDING OVERHANG ABOVE

STAIR 2 ST2-1

153

EQ-59

7 A524 HNDRL - 02

20 1

CATERING STORAGE 152

35' - 0"

LOADING DOCK 112A

1 A522

20A 1

20' - 6"

STAIR 3DN ST3-1 112B

CORAL CANYON EXHIBIT

4.04

150

9' - 8"

DOCK LEVELER

STAIR 6 ST6-1

A551

WINDOW ON THE CORAL CANYON 104

3.01

LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS 154

EQ-60

METER RESERVOIR 168

21 A711 113

PLATFORM SEATING CAB-03

23' - 0"

A553

1 A532

1 A523

DRINKING FOUNTAIN

18' - 0"

GLW-1

20' - 6"

A502

ONE OCEAN HALL 105

HOIST BEAM ABOVE LOWER

3' - 0" 3' - 0"

10' - 6"

21 A711

2 A541

AT HOME IN THE OCEAN 106

LSS RESERVOIR 167

AD-04 ABOVE

7' - 1"

114

131

17A b

POSSIBLE TENANT LAYOUT

GIFT SHOP 113

SAFE 115

6' - 10"

17A a

2 a

FREEZER 111

8' - 0"

16A

18A a

152

45' - 6"

3 A313

SUMP

3 A502

4 A314

2 A314

A316

8' - 9"

111

1.5 cubic yard

AV WORKROOM 114

116

12A a

CATERING PREP 116

18A a

LOADING DOCK GDR-05 112

3.04

3.05

A312

16 112 17A b

16A

CAB-02 13 a

3.06

GDR-05

13' - 6"

15' - 6"

14 A553

16A

FE .

1 A524

A551

BOH HALLWAY 110

11' - 0 1/2"

110

RR FAMILY 131

3.15 above

13 A524 14 A524

ELEV MACHINE ROOM

16A

3.16

25 A524

FRG-01 STAIR AND PLATFORM

STAIR 4 ST4-1

2 A312

SEE EXHIBIT DWGS FOR WALL FINISH

A301

24' - 6"

SOLID WASTE AND 112B RECYCLABLES STORAGE INDOOR BICYCLE RACK

7' - 6"

13A a

132

141

18 3.13

5 A554

8 A524

4 A202

A313

3.08

COLUMN, NIC

A312

14A b

SERVICE ELEVATOR ELV 2

RR (MEN) 132 IDF 134

PROP FIRST AID 135 STOR 141

3.07

5' - 0"

20' - 6"

15' - 6" UP

LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS 160

145

FRG-01 STAIR AND PLATFORM 24 A524

PASSENGER ELEV ELV 1

13A

14A b

RR (WOMEN) 133

A553

13D

STAIR 1 ST1-1

BOH HALLWAY ANIMAL 140 HUSBANDRY STOR 144

3.19

EXTENT OF ENCLOSURE ABOVE

1 A201

115

LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS 145

23' - 0"

A302

10.01

TRANSFORMER ACCESS HATCH ABOVE

SUMP 15' - 6"

10.01

2 A313

161A

10' - 0"

6A 3

ELEV MACHINE ROOM 147

147

MAIN ELEC 162

A553

8A 3

SCL TRANSFORMER 161

30' - 0"

2 A531

140

161B .

4 A312

30' - 0"

6 A532

5' - 0"

29' - 8"

2 A302

6A 3

30' - 0"

2 A543

14A b

EMERG ELEC 163 16

133

PLUMBING EQUIPMENT 142

10.01

A554

10.01

5 A312

134

10.01

A301

2 A521

9 A542

HOLDING 146

8 A531

1 2

A313

COLUMN, NIC

6 A312

27' - 6"

COLUMN, NIC

27' - 6"

142

1 A316

27' - 6"

ST1-1

6 7 3D printed form studies for 8the large tank.9

30' - 0"

3 A314

5 .

A301

A202

A301

2 A301

GENERAL NOTES 1. 2. 3.

1 LEVEL 1

A101

4. 5.

1/8" = 1'-0"

Architecture Urban Design Interiors

Seattle Aquarium Ocean Pavilion 1500 Alaskan Way

SMALL EXHIBIT KEY

SEE A001 FOR SYMBOLS AND ABBREVIATIONS. DIMENSIONS ARE TO THE BUILDING GRID LINES OR THE FACE OF FINISH SURFACES, UON. ALL DOORS NOT LOCATED BY DIMENSIONS ON PLANS, INTERIOR ELEVATIONS, OR DETAILS SHALL BE 4" FROM FACE OF ADJACENT WALL 1A STUD TO EDGE OF DOOR OPENING. SEE A600 FOR PARTITION TYPES. TYPICAL PARTITION TYPE IS UON. GRAY LINES INDICATE EXHIBITS. SEE EXHIBIT DRAWINGS FOR MORE INFORMATION. GREEN LINES INDICATE SCOPE NOT INCLUDED IN THIS PROJECT SHOWN FOR REFERENCE ONLY. FINISHES AND PLANTINGS ON THE SALISH STEPS SEATING AND UPPER PLAZA ARE BY THE OFFICE OF THE WATERFRONT OVERLOOK WALK PROJECT. DIAGRAM ON G011 DEPICTS AREA OF SCOPE.

Submittal

Revisions No. Date

Description

3.01 3.02 3.04 3.05 3.06 3.07 3.08 3.10 3.12 3.13 3.14 3.15 3.16 3.17 3.19 4.04 8.10 10.01

CLOWNFISH & ANEMONE FLEX JEWEL RIBBONED SEADRAGONS FLEX JEWEL OCTOPUS GARDEN EELS FLEX JEWEL FROGFISH (FUTURE PHASE) RHINOPIAS & LIONFISH NPS CORALS FLEX JEWEL FLEX JEWEL FLEX JEWEL RIBBON EELS CUTTLEFISH SEAHORSES & PIPEFISH JELLIES OWNER FURNISHED, OWNER INSTALLED

TRUE NORTH

PLAN NORTH

Sheet Title

16'

Sheet Number

32'

Aquarium programming exploded axonometric.

Sound Transit LINK Bike Runnel Mock-up The shop was tasked with prototyping 8 different end conditions for a bike runnel using Sound transit guidelines. None of the proposed ones worked on all bikes, but through our prototypes we discovered a satisfactory approach.

Determining width needed for mountain bike.

Testing modular sections and end conditions that might interfere with handrails.

Checking bike share bike on top prototype 3.

Coordinated with Sound Transit, station managers, City of Seattle, and subcontractors to design and fabricate 8 schemes for new bike runnels in upcoming LINK Station projects.

LMN Shop Engagement I always enjoyed engaging with staff and teaching others how fabrication should be a part of the design process sooner. I always enjoyed getting others excited about making, and by teaching others what they could do to better their designs and save money by designing with fabrication in mind.

Rebuilding the CNC machine for better accuracy and speed.

Seattle Design Festival installation assembly.

Concrete pouring and form making tutorial.

Introduction to welding workshop.

Holiday party installation assembly brigade.

CNC fabrication tutorial.

CNC Drawing and grasshopper demonstration.

Food Truck Housing When your kitchen drives away, how will you play?

Date

Fall 2016

Site

Mission Disctrict, San Francisco

Project

Housing Studio

Study

Cohabitation Typology

This studio was an exploration into multi-unit housing and shared economy trends can produce potential new typologies. From Uber changing how people get around, AirBnB changing how people sleep and stay in a city, to how the nuclear family and traditional family roles are being challenged, this projects xplored how collective-living architecture can be used as a political tool. My housing project looked at how food truck vendors could take their trucks home with them to feed their neighbors, and what collective facilities they could share to save on costs, thus being a hub to several food deserts around the Bay Area. When the trucks were absent, what activities could take place in a living space that is fifty percent garage and empty during the day and evening? This pop-up, sharing community offers space that is not currently available such as a theater, gallery space, or gardens for the Mission District.

Parti Diagram

Agadir Hotel and Convention Center- OMA Case study examining how the OMA project split program: residential being rigid and event space more open.

36’-0”

0’-0” 48’-0”

12’-0”

60’-0”

24’-0”

Floor plans

Fashion Show

Farmer’s Market

Training Center

Award Ceremony

Communal Garden

Concert

Oktoberfest

Screening Venue

Craft Fair

Group Yoga

Obstacle Course

Soapbox Derby

Theatrical Performance

Art Gallery

Wedding Reception

Program Matrix

Private Bedroom

Shared Kitchen and Bath

Mesh garage Doors

Unit A: Four person shared configuration

Unit B: Six person shared configuration

Interface Diagram

Structural model.

The section perspective drawing shows the residential program encased in the trusses, with the ramps and open space being filled by events and parking for food trucks.

Additive Manufacturing Minimal materials, maximum model

How will 3D printing technology make the leap from rapid prototyping to the built world? This class explored that idea, looking at installations and projects that are closing the gap. The goal was to create a structure only using printed plastic and a Grasshopper plugin called SilkWorm that utilized single line continuous printing. Theoretical ideas such as interlocking bricks, tessellated tiles, swarms generated from a single cell, optimization of structure, and efficient material use were the core

Date

Spring 2017

Site

California College of the Arts

Project

Team Instillation

Study

3D Printing Structure

concepts each team grappled with to design their installation. We utilized the printer’s dual head feature to print wider parts faster, and used our own printed clips to attach the concave and convex shapes to allow for rotation in the installation’s final form. What would you build if you could only use rolls of filament, a single 3D printer, and some gcode?

Initial test prints exploring behaviors of the SilkWorm script. We were interested in using dual head printing to save time.

Proposal drawing for the final installation.

View through the top of the installation.

Final assembly in progress, using our own designed and 3D printed clips along with glue.

Installation in the front entrance of CCA.

Delighted Strata Beach front property after rising sea levels

Date

Spring 2017

Project

Partner Floating Studio

Study

Buoyant Ecologies Housing

Awards

Jury Prize

As part of the next iteration of the ongoing Buoyant Ecologies Studio, our class was tasked with designing floating habitation for the residents of the islands. Should rising sea levels continue, the Maldives will be the first country submerged under water, and the continuous bleaching of the coral will be irreversible. We designed units that offered a living green machine water recycler as the spine of each unit, to help with ballast and to offer some relaxing natural moments to the people living on the ocean. The units’ sloped roof collected their own rain water, holding it in the hull below, along with having kite sails that generated electricity supplemented with solar panels on top. The sloped roofs, stacked open slat roof, and green machine spine draws people to the interior, as opposed to looking out at bleak open ocean.

Bird’s eye perspective

Worm’s eye perspective

Interior views looking at other units and at the living green machine running through the middle of the unit.

Atoll Infill Diagram

e l

13,500’

e v

6,500’

a t

1,800’

i o 500’

n 4’-11”

30,000,000 bc

1,000,000 bc

2017

100,000 bc

2050

Atoll Formation

Site plan showing winds and current in the atoll.

Model displaying connections to anchors underwater.

Long Term Housing 4-6 ppl 3 units protect one aqua garden

2’

5’

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

12’

Community Center 50+ ppl diving, teach and research center

5’

12’

30’

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Diving Space (1200 sqft) Kitchen/ Living Space (300 sqft) Classrooms x5 (240 sqft) Reserach Labs x4 (400 sqft) Aquaculture Garden x2 (750 sqft) Bathroom x4 (50 sqft) Covered Patio Space (1,200 sqft) Living Machine (1,500 sqft)

Entry Space (100 sqft) Kitchen/ Living Space (300 sqft) Master Bedrooms (240 sqft) Auxillary Bedroom (150 sqft) Aquaculture Garden (200 sqft) Bathroom (50 sqft) Covered Patio Space (150 sqft) Living Machine (480 sqft)

Short Term Housing 8-12 ppl 2 units protect one aqua garden 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

Entry Space (200 sqft) Kitchen/ Living Space (600 sqft) Master Bedrooms (480 sqft) Auxillary Bedroom (440 sqft) Aquaculture Garden (1,000 sqft) Bathroom (100 sqft) Covered Patio Space (300 sqft) Living Machine (920 sqft)

Program Diagram

Section cut through multiple units displaying scale change between smaller and larger units.

Fiberglass Exterior

Extruded Fiberglass Joint

Embedded Hanging Threaded Rod Overlap Wood Ceiling

Compressed Wood Header Rolling Hanging Door Joint

Generic Roof Detail

Roof Joint Detail

Room Partition Joint

Fiberglass Lip and Water Collection Channel

R-30 Spray Foam Insulation

Ball and Socket Joint Hollow Extruded Column Column Detail

Hollow Column to Water Ballast Water Collection Detail

Exterior Wall Detail

Generator String Connection to Kites

Windbelt Generator Detail

Wood Deck

Fiberglass Exterior Section Underwater Farming Anchors Structural Axonometric

Ballast/Water Storage Detail

2’6”

6’

15’

Section perspective detailing the parts and assembly of the final unit, along with information on the rain collection and water retention systems.

Axonometric detailing the systems of the units, including: the underwater farming for flora and fauna; green living system; and the variable structure for the inhabitants.

Woven Screen Material Assemblage

“Architecture is seldom composed of homogeneous or singular materials - more often it deals with assemblage, or the bringing together of diverse and disparate materials in complementary ways.” -Matt Hutchinson With digital fabrication methods becoming more prevalent and more easily accessible for designers, it’s easy to accept the capabilities of a machine and take for granted the means, methods, and processes themselves. Since machines and tools are the basis

Date

Spring 2018

Project

Wooden Screen Study

Study

Material Craft Process

for how our work gets built, this class took it as a challenge to have students reevaluate from the ground up the capabilities, limitations, and the range of a specific media and method. My focus of this study was a screen wall system made from laser cut slats in veneer, spread apart by steam bent support members. The final was made using no adhesive or hardware, other than tension and weaving wood together.

Study 1: Laser cut profile

Study 2: Multiple weaves

Study 3: Steambent shaping

Study 4A: Multiple weaves and steambent shaping

Study 4B: Multiple weaves and steambent shaping

Study 4C: Multiple weaves and steambent shaping

Initial studies of weaving laser cut wood with different profiles and patterns, along with steam bending pieces to expand and shape the sections.

Prototype 1: scale up and more pieces.

Prototype 2: new joint test, and interwoven sections.

Prototype 3: thinner panels, wider bends

Prototype 4: final scale up, bring it all together.

Prototypes 1, 2, 3, and 4 respectively, exploring behaviors and conditions of joints and laser cut wood.

Interior photo of prototype 1.

SandForm Sand + Vacuum + Concrete = Columns

This project explores robotically, sand-cast architectural columns, with variable form and openings to create space and craft light and views. This project inverts the sixthousand-year-old process of sand casting by using loose sand as a reusable and imprecise jig for crafting concrete columns. SandForm challenges the extensive fields of classical columns and toolpathing in architecture to create a materiality that is at once rooted in the computational and evocative of the geological.

Process

Date

Fall 2017- Spring 2018

Project

Thesis Project

Study

Material Craft Process

Awards

Jury Prize

Whereas traditional sand casting uses an existing object to create a negative mold in firm, packed sand, SandForm uses a robotcontrolled vacuum to create a negative mold in loose sand. First, digital toolpaths are created in relation to their placement and the correlating parameters matrix. Then, the vacuum follows these toolpaths, creating a negative by sucking up sand. Next, concrete is poured into the negative. The mold is raised by the same layer depth each time. The next layer of sand is added, and the process is repeated until all layers are cast. Unlike other processes, SandForm is both subtractive and additive. This approach to sand casting allows for undercuts that are nearly impossible by other current fabrication processes. The programmable sand mold allows for openings in the casts and has a geological materiality. The sand itself can be reused with almost no waste between casts. The columns are horizontally cast, in tilt-up fashion. While vertically cast columns were explored, the horizontally cast columns are: quicker to fabricate; allow for more intricate and controlled openings; and have a unique materiality unlike other extrusion or cast processes with two distinct surface conditions.

one of the most essential components of architecture, as shown in the Primitive Hut and Maison Dom-Ino. SandForm rejects the premise that columns need be thin to allow for open space, but instead craft space by blurring the line between column and transparent wall. For this hall, forty-eight columns and twenty-four roofs were created. When viewed in elevation, the variation of open and closed spaces is easily perceived. SandForm reinterprets classical columnar elements, such as: height and base ratio; entasis; base and capitals; and fluting. The parameters controlling the column form generation were: varied width; placement in relation to nearby columns; and rotation of column. These variables culminate in a space that can be controlled for wide, open views through the space, or closed for more intimate regions. The central aisle of columns are taller, showing the scalability of this process and offering variation in the roof height for a clearstory.

Conclusion

SandForm exists in the workmanship of prediction, at the intersection of control and risk. Sand will always fall at the same angle, and this knowledge influences the column’s layers in depth and design. A robot is able to vacuum sand, pour concrete, and place rebar using the same layer toolpath for all three operations. The robot allows for precision in crafting, and in an ideal scenario would be pouring the concrete to achieve uniform layers instead of analog concrete pours, due to the volume and reach necessary. Human operators would be needed for quality control, robot operation, and crane operation for installation. David Pye wrote, “Designers have only been able to exist by exploiting what workmen have evolved or invented”. SandForm explores the ability of architects to reimagine not only the elements of buildings, but also their Case Study: Hypostyle Hall SandForm uses the hypostyle hall, processes of fabrication. such as Karnak in Egypt, as a typology to explore how columns influence space by changing form. Additionally, this project explores how cast concrete columns can be used to craft atmosphere, light, and space through code. Columns are

1. Mold at beginning of process

2. Sand is added and leveled

3. Robot vacuums the sand along the toolpath

4. Concrete is poured evenly in the negative

5. The mold is adjusted, sand is added

6. The sand is vacuumed again with the next toolpath

7. Concrete is poured evenly into the negative

8. Process repeats until all layers are cast

SandForm process explained, showing the relationship between the subtractive and additive phases of casting.

The left image shows the traditional process of sand casting, with the negative displayed in the back with tightly packed sand and clay. SandForm’s negative, on the right, showing the angle the sand will always fall and the level of control coded into each path.

Process images of the project showing, in chronological order, experimentation of the initial studies done by hand, building to the first robotically cast columns. Parameters tested include: material strength and adhesion, layer depth, undercut potential, scale, and toolpathing properties.

Entasis, or the changing of column size, was used to correct visual distortion in elevation. In SandForm, entasis is exploited to create or block views in the hypostyle hall. Image from hellenicaworld.com

Capitals and bases, some of the most intricate ornamentation of antiquity, are used for stability and are coded into the toolpath in the cast columns. Image from pinimg.com

Fluting was created for stone columns as a ornament reminiscent of the crafting process from wood columns and the physical appearance of reed columns. The fluting in the sandcast columns is created by the liquid concrete pours clashing with the sand jig. Image from pinimg.com

Side by side comparison of three of the classical column attributes used to inform the cast columns.

Three matrices controlling the width, rotation, and opacity of each column in the hall computationally.

A matrix of all thirty-two columns designed for the hypostyle hall. The variables for each column include: width, number of attractor points, and power of points.

Sand

Vacuum

Roof Panel

Concrete

Sand

Tall Column

Vacuum

Concrete

Short Column

Parti drawing showing the process for two layers. Colors Drawing showing the versatility of the mold and process, Dynamic drawing with showing the6.axes of the robotic arm as it completes a layered operation. creating all parts for the project with the same system. are matched Image

Two 7-axis robots working in tandem to cast one layer of a column at full scale. Black representing the motions of the robot controlling the vacuum, red representing the robot pouring concrete. Both are using the same base toolpaths, with their time of operation staggered.

Worm’s eye and Bird’s eye view of the hall, showing the relationship of the columns to each other in plan, along with the variety of spaces created. The scale figures are in the same position to assist when comparing the plan to the space created by the columns.

Roof

Right

Front-Right

Front

Front-Left

Looking at the hall from above, along with two views from perpendicular cardinal directions and two views from the corresponding intercardinal directions. These views demonstrate how the width, rotation, and form of the columns impact the views through the space.

View inside the final model created for SandForm.

Claire M Smith 317.696.6978

drasesmith@gmail.com

instagram@ jsmitharch