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Proquest Dissertations Rice University Architecture in 2Y2 Dimensions by John Carr A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Architecture Approved, Thesis Committee: Gordon Wittenberg Professor of Architecture, Director SL Albert Pope Gus Sessions Wortham Professor of Architecture John J. Casbarian Associate Dean, Professor of Architecture Houston, Texas May 2008 UMI Number: 1455222 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 1455222 Copyright 2008 by ProQuest LLC. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest LLC 789 E. Eisenhower Parkway PO Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 Abstract Architecture in 2V2 Dimensions byJohnCarr Complex forms call for complex formwork—flat material is often laminated together or stretched over an underlying structure to produce a curvilinear surface. Or perhaps there is another way? As templates for production, patterns possess an under-utilized potential for generating forms with complexity beyond that of simple pasteboard box construction. This thesis is an investigation of that potential, pursuing pattern-based techniques for constructing stressed-skin structural panels from plywood. Contents Introduction 1 Morphological Vocabulary 10 Structural Panels 45 Bibliography 61 Introduction The push for unprecedented forms in architecture is nothing new—even the dome was exotic once—and advancements in digital modeling and rapid-prototyping techniques have spurred architects to realize increasingly complex forms. These pursuits have mirrored similar developments in the field of industrial design, where complexity has arisen from aesthetic and ergonomic concerns. Industrial designers have at their disposal techniques such as injection molding that, combined with the economic advantage of mass production, have allowed these complex forms to be achieved with relative ease. Architecture, on the other hand, is typically a one-off affair—even "cookie-cutter" houses are custom-built—and beyond the scope of most manufacturing methods associated with industrial design. Consequently, architects have relied on traditional construction methods, even as they have begun to employ advanced materials and rapid prototyping techniques. Curvilinear surfaces have be achieved, for example, by affixing flat panels to an undulating structural grid. Even concrete, which offers near limitless formal possibilities due to its plasticity, requires temporary formwork produced in a similarly traditional manner. The disconnect between advanced forms and traditional methods exposes a lost opportunity. Is there another way to pursue these forms, in a manner that more efficiently employs rapid-prototyping methods? This thesis offers pattern-based solutions as one such possibility. As templates for production, patterns possess an under-utilized potential for generating forms with more sophistication than a simple pasteboard box. The work presented here is an investigation into that potential, exploring techniques for constructing stressed-skin structural panels at an architectural scale. 1 2D to 3D A pattern is perhaps most obviously thought of as a template — a definition embodied in this pattern for a cardboard box. While not particularly useful as an end product, templates provide a means to an end — a functional container, in this example. But why is a pattern needed at all? Why not just make the desired form outright? Patterns facilitate production by providing an efficient means of dealing with raw materials, which are often produced in sheet form in order to simplify manufacturing and transportation. It is generally easier to work with material in two dimensions rather than three, but with this advantage comes a limited range of formal possibilities. Pattern and assembled box, redrawn from Structural Package Designs, p. 84-85. t J 3D to 2D A pattern need not be a template. This toad example demonstrates how a pattern can be a resultant. As Edward Tufte describes it, the toad's molted skin "collapses into flatland," where it is more easily analyzed. The flattened skin would make a poor template for producing a three-dimensional toad — in fact this is an ideal example of the limitations of templates in producing complex forms — but it does make the cumbersome toad easier to examine. Toad and molted skin, reproduced from Mary C. Dickerson, The Frog Book: North American Toads and Frogs, with a Study of the Northeastern States, in Edward R. Tufte, Envisioning Information, p. 14. 3 2V2D This handbag, designed by Josh Jakus, represents a confluence of both of the previously described pattern types. Its flattened state is both a template, providing an easy means of production, as well as a resultant, allowing for an easy means of storage. The richness of this bag's design lies in its novel accommodation of competing 2D and 3D limitations. Handbag, in flattened and unflattened states, <http://www.joshjakus.com>. 4 Developable Surfaces Surfaces that can be flattened without distortion are known as developable surfaces. The plane, cone, and cylinder belong to this set, forming a limited yet powerful design palette. Slivers of planes, cones, and cylinders can be pieced together to create seemingly complex surfaces which remain unroll able. Geometrically speaking, if a surface can be modeled out of paper, then it is developable. This fact makes paper an ideal material exploring the possibilities and limitations of developable surfaces. Three developable surface types — plane, cone, and cylinder— in relation to the sphere, Peter Richardus and Ron K. Adler, Map Projections for Geodesists, Cartographers, and Geographers, p. 4. (a) (b) (c) Inverse Cartography Map makers have long dealt with the problem of representing the round Earth as a flat surface. There are countless solutions to this problem, some better than others, but none of them perfect. Instead, each map projection is a compromise that distorts some aspect of the Earth's surface for the sake of another. The maps shown here serve to illustrate the range of possibilities for transforming a single form — the sphere—into a planar pattern. The body of work that cartographers have produced contains many points of inspiration for producing pattern- derived forms. Of course, cartographers are concerned with accuracy and legibility rather than issues of fabrication, so it is also helpful to look at material applications of patterns. Map projections, clockwise from upper left: Werner projection, Schjerning VI t equal-area projection, Goode homolosine -tr-t projection with interruptions for T J1 SO 1 landmasses, Sylvano's modified Bonne 4jr 4^ projection, Fisher's gnomic projection onto an icosahedron, Mercator's double cordiform projection, Waldseemuller's twelve gore projection, Ruysch's equidistant conic projection, John P. Snyder, Flattening the Earth: Two Thousand Years of Map Projections, pp. 36,255,197,34, ' *• 270,37,42,31. 6 Folding Ammar Eloueini's work shown here makes use of folded patterns to create free-form surfaces. As opposed to the box pattern shown earlier, which consists mainly of rectangles, Eloueini's patterns are made up entirely of irregular triangles. The example shown is part of a stage set — a custom piece made feasible with CNC machining. This piece is supported by cables and intended as a dynamic part of the dance production it is associated with. Is constructed entirely of planar elements and bears no structural responsibility. Stage set, Ammar Eloueini, CoReFab, p. 8. 7 Bending In contrast, the plywood leg splint designed by Charles and Ray Eames is a quintessential example of pattern-based strength. The molded form incorporates planar as well as conical and cylindrical forms, taking cues from both the natural shape of the leg and the material limitations of plywood. Layers of veneer, shown here prior to molding, consist of varying patterns overlaid and adhered to one another to produce a richly formed yet rigid shell. Veneers cut to shape for Charles and Ray Eames's plywood leg splint, Dung Ngo and Eric Pfeiffer, Bent Ply: The Art of Plywood Furniture, p. 55- Dry Bending The greatest limitation of molded plywood is its reliance on complex and expensive production methods. The veneers must be glued together and clamped in place with sufficient heat in order to retain their shape. The work shown here, produced by students at Harvard, has sidestepped that limitation through the use of a dry bending technique: thin wood veneers are lasercut and fastened together with hardware rather than adhesives. Since there is no required formwork, variations within the pattern can be easily produced to create modulated surfaces. Student work from a material investigation conducted at Harvard, Toshiko Mori, ed, Immaterial/Ultramaterial: Architecture, Design, and Materials, p. xii. 9 Morphological Vocabulary As already noted, there exist forms that lay beyond the scope of pattern-based methods of production. It would be ineffective, then, to pursue a general method for distilling any given
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