sensibility images

water bladders

surface to tectonic expression

exterior surface

exterior surface

three pictures of some scripted surfaces

concept of bladders for exterior cladding

http://esciencenews.com/articles/2009/05/04/research.gives.clues.self.cleaning.materials.water.striding.robots

http://www.thenakedscientists.com/HTML/content/interviews/interview/1046/

checking out a few of these websites I was looking at self-cleaning materials. This first site is all about a microscopic surface logic that allows for water to repel off. The second site is talking about self-cleaning glass, that works by breaking down any organic material.

on suckerpunch today, in terms of retaining water and creating an environment it looks like an interesting idea

http://www.suckerpunchdaily.com/2011/02/15/hydrophile/#more-11347

Here is a different technique that we could use to create an exterior skin

Living Light

Phytoplankton

Phytoplankton live in the sunlit portions of the ocean and are capable of turning water and light energy from the sun into nutrients and oxygen through photosynthesis.

I thought this was interesting considering phytoplankton are single celled plant organisms, and I know we were talking about using a type of cellular structure in the skin designs.

This is exploring a further notion of the exoskeleton. I am just trying to take the mosquito idea and explore the potential for the exterior skin condition. There is the possibility of striated surface or a scale surface.

Urban re(f)use An ecology of waste / tutored by François Roch

Continuing on the idea of creating a sensation of a breathing space, this image seemed to fit.

More cool stuff can be found in this blog: http://boiteaoutils.blogspot.com/

The Beauty of Nature

After analyzing the hydronic cooling and heating systems and looking at Wiscombe's work, it occurred to me that essentially what we are to design and fabricate is something that can be found in nature. This could possibly start to add to the architectural argument or simply provide inspiration as well as some knowledge of how our wall section might work. The biological structure of a leaf seemed like an inspiring starting point for the project as it has several components that relate to our project.

• The epidermis or outer layer of the leaf becomes the water collecting outer paneled skin.
• The spongy mesophyll becomes the water/air storage and bulging elements.
• The veins become the water cooling system.

Not only does the leaf have performative qualities that are useful to us, it also contains a sensibility that resembles Wiscombe's sensibility of the Flower Street Bioreactor (See earlier post by Adrian).

Another quality of the leaf that appeals to me is that it is a living organism. It ages and creates a stimulating sensation through the change of color and pattern. Furthermore the leaf is a breathing skin which could lead to several implications of our design...perhaps we could capture the sensation of a breathing wall. The wall breathes at certain times thus changing the atmosphere of the space within.

Random Image

While thinking about the water collection and storage for some strange reason I thought about a mosquito's abdomen filling with blood. I know it's random and perhaps an unnecessary post but may help develop some kind of "perverse" sensation that we could capture with the interior skin-the ripping and bulging of the flesh...

Prototype I and II: Thermo-Strut and Tracery Glass by Tom Wiscombe

Prototype I: Thermo-Strut

Prototype II: Tracery Glass

These are two of three prototypes by EMERGENT that feature integrated thermal solar systems, PV systems, algae photo-bioreactor coils, radiant cooling systems, and grey water capture systems. These prototypes integrate systems that we will be working with as well and is a good precedent to analyze.

More info at: http://www.emergenttomwiscombellc.com/projects.php?id=28

Hydronic Heating and Cooling Methods

These some technical drawings I found that are the three main applications of hydronic heating and cooling systems.

• System cools through radiative heat transfer by keeping a water and glycol mix within the tubes at a temperature of 65 degrees.
• Ventilation is important to manage indoor humidity and air quality.
• Heating of the water is necessary for hydronic heating. Possibilities for solar collection for heat.
• Typical Materials for the systems above include:

1. Panel System - aluminum - panels carry tubes and can be surface mounted or embedded in floors, walls, or ceilings. Possibility for continuous interior surface.

2. Capillary Tube System - embedded in plastic, gypsum, or plaster - consists of a mat of small closely spaced tubes embedded in walls and ceilings. Usually larger arteries connect to this which help with a differentiation of scale and allows for interesting nuances.

3. Concrete Core System - concrete or heavy masonry - probably not the best option for the fabrication. usually consists of a whole floor or wall.

PPT files

These are two powerpoints we made last semester, the first is a few high-tech developing materials to consider, the second has several mechanical systems, both can be found on my website:

http://www.dalefenton.com/

The sources listed at the end of each may be useful for additional research and as reference.

green skin

http://www.new-territories.com/green%20gorgon.htm

Scenario:

1) Recognition of the “natural” fake of the place (polder developed on the lake)

2) Development of a strategy heterotopic, tentacular, uncertain, organic.

3) Scenarios of confusion between various natures - built natures (facade in hydro-aeroponiques, biodynamic green hairs) and urban, spontaneous, haunted natures, in order to generate a hybrid landscape, non-identifiable.

4) Using the photosynthesis of all green façades to recycle and clean waste water.

5) Introduction of this knotty geometry into indoor morphology of the exhibition rooms. A place where perdition, looseness is plausible, where the tangled up ambulation becomes the support of a collection which is not it less. Complexity is a tool of reprogramming and deprogramming, folding and unfolding.

6) Individual positioning by portable GPS, coupled to an informational PAD. The visitor use this i-compass to move and get more details (sound and video) on each art piece.

dust collecting house

house collects dust with static electricity read more at:

http://www.new-territories.com/roche2002bis.htm

some Francois Roche:

more can be found here:

http://www.new-territories.com/Defaut2.htm

and here:

http://5osa.tistory.com/entry/RSien-Waterflux

Design of a building for an art museum/alpine ice research station Scenario:

1) Digitization of the envelope of a traditional habitat.
2) Scooping out hollows within this volume as if it were an ice cavity, but in full wood by a 5 axes drill machine.
3) Water states and flows vary according to the seasons: The ice flows and freezes; the ice façades freeze and melt, forming a pond in front of the building.
4) Exacerbation of the winter climate by artificial snow (500 m3)
5) Construction by CNC machine processing, 5 axes, in full wood (2000m3-1000 trees) and reassembling the manufactured 180 pieces on site.
6) Reactivation of local economy

Flower Street Bioreactor

Performative system placed on facade to create glow and sensation.

Perforation and Glow

systemic process, with a cell

Sheer Wall - jesse pietila

Mass components structure

Cellular structure

Lattice structure

fiber structure

heating water

fizzle

Lighting effect

Primitives - Ku, Sanchez and Wu