A pressure is of two kinds: positive and Air negative. Just as wind energy can be harnessed only by containing the air under a highly pressurized environment, air can be used as a formative agent by storing compressed air in the form of potential energy. It is our belief that the potential of the negative pressure of air, on the other hand, has not been exploited in the field of fabrication in general, and architecture in particular. Vacuum acts as a suction agent to pull material V through tubes and distribute it. The absence of air may also serve as an environment in which materials behave differently as comw pared to in the presence of air. The next section depicts our foray into experiments with negative pressure of air: to pull and relocate material, to deform objects, and by virtue of its absence. The field of vacuumatics and its application in deflated pneumatic constructions is rather an unexplored territory. Deflatables are still largely undiscovered when compared to inflated pneumatic constructions. It is our contention that deflated systems provide a vast opportunity to do work using the least amount of material and energy. The creation of negative pressure is relatively T quick, and an entirely reversible process. Unlike in conventional modes of fabrication, this aspect of reversibility interested us from the start. Inflated constructions require a precise, detailed patterned membrane and produce a highly pre-determined form, whereas deflated constructions have the possibility of
producing a variety of results depending upon the type of construction they rely upon (as discussed at length later). After minor attempts in the 1970’s the field of deflateables has become a major focus of research in the construction industry, due to their lightweight capabilities. As elaborated upon in ‘Deflatables’, ‘Deflatables belong to the family of pneumatic constructions. Their speciality is the structural use of low- pressure. ‘ After some fundamental research projects carried out in the 1970’s, namely ‘Vacuumatics’ at the University of Belfast (Gilbert, 1970), the book ‘Pneumatic Structures’ (Herzog, 1977) and some inspiring work carried out at the University (IL) in Stuttgart, this field of research stay stagnant. Currently, the University of Stuttgart is researching practical applications (Sobek, 2007) and the University of Technology Eindhoven is executing a research project in this field (Huijben, 2007). The aim of the following research is to explore this relatively unexplored territoryy in the field of pneumatic constructions.
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vacuum as formative agent
A vacuum exhibits certain basic properties, which can be taken advantage of in the building industry. The absence of air inhibits convection, and hence acts as a good thermal and sound insulating agent.