alphabets syracuse university SOA B.ARCH | S ‘19 ARC 182 representation II tsz man nicholas chung professor molly hunker azadeh samiei ian mulich
helvetica new characters developed into spatial figures transformed into architecture
01 helvetica T
t
M
m
02 the blank tiles overlapped
03 variation > variety POP! mutants mutation
04 fabrication decomposition construction
05 scrabble! counter container
nested
helvetica | the blank tile “ While the English characters - and the various fonts that represent them -
have clear geometric logic, they do not always adhere to typical reductive
Cartesian formation processes. Rather, they are guided by more complex
processes that connect different geometric orders through a complex set of relationships. The kind of complexity that arises from the fusion of different geometric orders demands the deployment of an alternative system of de-
scription and conceptualization. To this extent, an effective practice of formal
analysis must understand geometry not as a set of static rules, but rather as
a kind of topological transformation that grows from one local instance to another one. “
deconstruction | re-composition | counter | geometry | defamiliarization
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alphabets
helvetica T t M m
helvetica
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04
the blank tile overlapped
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alphabets
the blank tile n e s t e d
the blank tile |
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variation > variety This is an exploration of modeling “regimes” of the digital environment in three dimensions. The modeling regime is a way of working and conceptualizing the tools available to produce coherent, logically ordered form. The first regime -“Euclidean” - uses familiar, nameable geometries like straight lines, circles and ellipses as the basis for building volumes. A hallmark of working in this way is that form can be described by a set of fixed locations in space: straight lines extend between two coordinates; circles have constant radii from a single point, and so on. The second modeling regime is Calculus-based. This method of working is characterized by geometries with continuous curvature that flows between fixed locations in space but cannot be reduced to a discrete set of fixed coordinates. The systematic, iterative transformations of the elements of the alphabetic letter will then be introduced to variation, versus variety. By manipulating specific variables of the underlying logic of the object’s geometry - namely profile curves in plan and section, something new and different emerges but is still guided by the same geometric DNA.
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alphabets
variation > v a r i e t y P O P !
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alphabets
3D figure | faceted | inflation | piped | surface treatment | smoothness or edge
POP!
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10
variation > v a r i e t y mutants
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block rearrangement | extrude surfaces | splitting planes | continuity | planar & sectional rotation
mutants
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variation > v a r i e t y mutants
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alphabets
swept profiles | rails | self-intersection | uncontrolled | matrix | surface ambiguity
mutants
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variation > v a r i e t y mutants
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alphabets
booleaned profiles | boolean intersect | boolean A-B | boolean B-A | figure-ground relation
mutants
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variation > v a r i e t y mutation contouring
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alphabets
kit of parts
mutation
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variation > v a r i e t y mutation serial sectioning
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
19
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alphabets
9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
mutation
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variation > v a r i e t y mutation unfold
2
1
4
3
5
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alphabets
5 4
3
2
1
mutation
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f a b r i c a t i o n This section transitions from digital to physical. The representation of form in 3D will prescribe clarity and more importantly, an understanding of the
tectonics of what is architectonic. The possession of a physical artifact also provided new insights that were not obviously interesting due to the inabili-
ty for a tight and spontainious inspection in digital space. 3 model types were prepared for the 3 digital operations previously explored. The Boolean model was made into an eggcrate by contouring, intersecting, and trimming lodges; the Swept model was made into a contour model, which was then seper-
ated on each layer to create flickering moments between solid and void. The
block rearrangment model was physically constructed to explore methods to produce smooth surfaces without decreasing the degrees of curvature.
eggcrate | serial contouring | unrolled surface | digital and physical fabrication
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fabrication
decomposition
egg crate
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A1 - A21
B1 - B24
decomp
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fabrication
decomposition
contouring
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1 - 42
decomp
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fabrication construction
physical model unrolled surfaces
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tabs | craft | continuity | simplicity | unrolled surfaces | shilhouette | documentation | detail
construction |
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fabrication construction
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construction |
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fabrication construction
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construction |
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s
c
r
a
b
b
l
e
!
The culmination of the previous efforts of developing spatial figures, this final segment aims to repurpose, hybridize, composite, and finally, develop a type
of proto-architecture that continues the rigourous form-making strategies explored previously. ‘Counter’ revisits the idea of openings, internal or oth-
erwise, found in the English alphabets. Their imperfect geometries derived from the logic of the grid fonts abide, or in some cases, break away from. Thickness and resolution is added to the figures that are perscribed openings
assertained from the 2D profiles that derive the 3D figure. ‘Container’ takes
3 figures developed and designs, then accentuates, the sequence of moving through them. The results are to be understood as purely speculative as they are then placed in both abstract and realistic scenarios.
figure-frame | occupant | openings | context | architectural
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scrabble!
c o u n t e r
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alphabets
counter
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scrabble! container
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alphabets
proto-architecture | plan | inversion | inhabitable | program | figure-ground | connectivity
container
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scrabble! container
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alphabets
proto-architecture | section | intersection | inhabitable | program | landscape | connectivity
container
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42
scrabble! container
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texture | graphic mapping | exposure | figure ground relationship | hidden object | shadow
container
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scrabble! container
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alphabets
fenestration | facade as structure | internal | indoor-outdoor | occupant | shell | subversion
container
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