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 the architectural process. From initial programming schemes to mock-ups 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 alongside 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 and led 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 to see 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.
y
x
SDCI Project Numbe 6501134
L SLAB
SDCI Approval Stamps
STRUCTURAL SLAB
ANICAL
D
E
DUCTS PER MECHANICAL
UT TWOFRAME
WAP
S
S
SLOT STL C-2 - UNISTRUT TWOWAY FRAME
WOOD ODULE
x
10
z
y
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
E
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
X
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
2
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
11
10
Z - 2" X 2" ACTUAL DIMENSION DOUGLAS FIR LUMBERVERTICAL
9.5
Drawn
LEVEL 5 192' - 0"
4 A735
VA
Checked
D
LMN Proj No
SPCL CLG-4 COMPONENT DIAGRAM
E
LDC 13033-01
05/31/18
Date
FOR REFERENCE ONLY
WAP Sheet
LEVEL 4 180' - 8"
4 A735
Z
Title
SPCL CLG-4 COMPONENT DIAGRAM FOR REFERENCE ONLY
Mixing Zone Sect and Trays
Y
S
S
10
Sheet Number
LEVEL 3 170' - 7"
9 A753
LEVEL 2 159' - 2"
1
A735
3
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 in a week. Building a model by hand took one person several weeks - we were able to print a new model each day after vigorous, iterative experimentation.
Seattle Aquarium model
1 Seattle Aquarium model
3
2
30' - 0"
4
30' - 0"
3
4
A301
A301
1' - 0"
162
163
8A 3
8
GDR-05
16' - 6"
TRANSF EXHAUST SHAFT ABOVE
GDR-05
2 A316
.
3.12 .
2
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
UP
1 A571
EQ-59
13
4'
10
1 cubic yard FE UP
12' - 0"
1 112A
2
.
A311
A201
.
3
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
6
1
2
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
UP
WEST RAMP WELCOME 102
20' - 6"
HNDRL -
HNDR
A551
EDGE OF RAMP AT FLOOR
02
UP
A551
ENTRY & TICKETING 101 20 A433
MIGRATION
4 UP
L - 02
6
HNDR
L - 03
UP
.
.
CUST EQUIP STOR 151
A554 12
A553
16' - 6"
151
WORKSHOP 153
4 3
PUBLIC ELEVATOR ELV 3
6 A201
2
BUILDING OVERHANG ABOVE
STAIR 2 ST2-1
153
EQ-59
FE
UP
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
HB
3
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
.
UP
E
18' - 0"
GLW-1
20' - 6"
A502
ONE OCEAN HALL 105
16
HOIST BEAM ABOVE LOWER
3' - 0" 3' - 0"
10' - 6"
21 A711
2 A541
7
AT HOME IN THE OCEAN 106
FE
LSS RESERVOIR 167
AD-04 ABOVE
7' - 1"
114
131
UP
.
11
17A b
POSSIBLE TENANT LAYOUT
GIFT SHOP 113
SAFE 115
6' - 10"
17A a
2 a
FREEZER 111
8' - 0"
FE
16A
18A a
.
152
45' - 6"
3 A313
SUMP
3 A502
.
.
4 A314
2 A314
.
.
11
.
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
.
1
A312
16 112 17A b
16A
CAB-02 13 a
3.06
GDR-05
13' - 6"
15' - 6"
9
1
.
14 A553
16A
15
5
FE .
2
1 A524
.
7
A551
BOH HALLWAY 110
11' - 0 1/2"
110
5
RR FAMILY 131
3.15 above
18
13 A524 14 A524
6
.
ELEV MACHINE ROOM
16A
3.16
25 A524
FRG-01 STAIR AND PLATFORM
STAIR 4 ST4-1
.
2 A312
UP
SEE EXHIBIT DWGS FOR WALL FINISH
DN
DN
.
A301
24' - 6"
SOLID WASTE AND 112B RECYCLABLES STORAGE INDOOR BICYCLE RACK
7' - 6"
13A a
132
17
141
18 3.13
5 A554
8 A524
UP
4 A202
A313
1
.
3.08
COLUMN, NIC
6
A312
14A b
SERVICE ELEVATOR ELV 2
2A
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
DN
PASSENGER ELEV ELV 1
13A
14A b
RR (WOMEN) 133
UP
18
A553
13D
STAIR 1 ST1-1
BOH HALLWAY ANIMAL 140 HUSBANDRY STOR 144
3.19
EXTENT OF ENCLOSURE ABOVE
1
.
3
.
1 A201
115
LIFE SUPPORT SYSTEMS 145
23' - 0"
13
A302
10.01
TRANSFORMER ACCESS HATCH ABOVE
12
.
.
SUMP 15' - 6"
FE
10.01
FE
2 A313
161A
10' - 0"
.
6A 3
ELEV MACHINE ROOM 147
147
MAIN ELEC 162
A553
D
8A 3
SCL TRANSFORMER 161
3
.
11
30' - 0"
2 A531
140
161B .
C
4 A312
10
30' - 0"
6 A532
5' - 0"
5' - 0"
29' - 8"
2 A302
6A 3
.
2
30' - 0"
2 A543
14A b
4
EMERG ELEC 163 16
.
133
PLUMBING EQUIPMENT 142
10.01
3
A554
10.01
B
5 A312
134
10.01
5
.
A301
2 A521
9 A542
HOLDING 146
8 A531
1 2
A313
.
FE
COLUMN, NIC
.
6 A312
27' - 6"
.
COLUMN, NIC
A
27' - 6"
.
142
1 A316
27' - 6"
ST1-1
.
6 7 3D printed form studies for 8the large tank.9
5
30' - 0"
3 A314
1
5 .
A301
A202
.
3
4
A301
A301
2 A301
F
GENERAL NOTES 1. 2. 3.
1 LEVEL 1
A101
4. 5.
1/8" = 1'-0"
Architecture Urban Design Interiors
6.
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
0'
4'
8'
16'
Sheet Number
32'
Aquarium programming exploded axonometric.
Sound Transit LINK Bike Runnel Mock-up The shop was tasked with prototyping eight different end conditions for a bike runnel using Sound transit guidelines. None of the proposals worked for all bike types but we discovered a satisfactory approach through our prototyping.
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 end conditions for custom bike runnel.
LMN Shop Engagement I always enjoyed engaging with staff and teaching others how fabrication should be a part of the design process early in project development. 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 how 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 project explored 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 additional variable space that can be utilized for activities 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
T
i
2017
100,000 bc
m
e
l
i
n
2050
e
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.
A1
B1
C1
D1
A2
B2
C2
D2
A3
B3
C3
D3
A4
B4
C4
D4
A5
B5
C5
D5
A6
B6
C6
D6
A7
B7
C7
D7
A8
B8
C8
D8
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.
View inside the final model created for SandForm.
Claire M Smith 317.696.6978
drasesmith@gmail.com
instagram@ jsmitharch