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Form Finding of Nexorades Using the Translations Method: Foreword by Sigrid Brell-Çokcan and Johannes Braumann, Association for Robots in Architecture
Abstract
The aim of this paper is to discuss the dialectic form-finding of a complex timber structure based on an innovative structural system: shell-nexorade hybrids. Nexorades, also known as reciprocal frames are elegant structures that suffer from a relatively poor structural behavior due to in-plane shear and bending of the members. Introducing plates as bracing elements significantly improves their performance, but increases the manufacturing complexity and sets high tolerance constraints. We present the fabrication and assembly of a 50 m2 timber pavilion with 6-axis robotized milling. The use of a mobile robot and fixed machining stations is explored to allow for maximal flexibility of iterations between design and fabrication.
KeywordsComplex timber structureNon-standard structureReciprocal frameNexoradeFree-form architectureRobotic construction
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We introduce an intuitive method, called Marionette by the authors, for the modelling of free-form architecture with planar facets. The method takes inspiration from descriptive geometry and allows to design complex shapes with one projection and the control of elevation curves. The proposed framework achieves exact facet planarity in real-time, and considerably enriches previous geometrically-constrained methods for free-form architecture. A discussion on the design of quadrilateral meshes with a fixed horizontal projection is first proposed, and the method is then extended to various projections and patterns.
The method used is a discrete solution of a continuous problem. This relation between smooth and continuous problem is discussed and shows how to combine the marionette method with modelling tools for smooth surfaces, like NURBS or T-splines. The result is a versatile tool for shape modelling, suited to engineering problems related to free-form architecture.
Integral attachment, the joining of parts through their form rather than additional connectors or adhesives, is a common technique in many industry sectors. Following a renaissance of integral joints for timber frame structures, recent research investigates techniques for the attachment of timber plate structures. This paper introduces double through tenon joints, which allow for the rapid, precise and fully integral assembly of doubly-curved folded surface structures with two interconnected layers of cross-laminated engineered wood panels. The shape of the plates and the assembly sequence allow for an attachment without additional connectors or adhesives. The fabrication and assembly constraint based design is achieved through algorithms, which automatically generate the geometry of the parts and the G-Code for the fabrication. We present the fabrication and assembly of prototypes fabricated with 3D CNC milling and laser cutting systems, comparing and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the individual techniques.
The design of gridshells is subject to strong mechanical and fabrication constraints, which remain largely unexplored for non-regular patterns. The aim of this article is to compare the structural performance of two kind of gridshells. The first one is the kagome gridshell and it is derived from a non-regular pattern constituted of triangles and hexagons. The second one results from a regular pattern of quadrangles unbraced by diagonal elements. A method is proposed to cover kagome gridshells with planar facets, which reduces considerably the cost of fabrication of the cladding.
The sensitivity of kagome gridshells to geometrical imperfections is discussed. The linearised buckling load of kagome gridshells is then compared to the one of quadrilateral gridshells. The most relevant design variables are considered in the parametric study. Two building typologies are studied for symmetrical and non-symmetrical load cases: dome and barrel vault. It reveals that the kagome gridshell outperforms quadrilateral gridshell for a very similar construction cost.
Integral attachment, the joining of parts through their form rather than additional connectors or adhesives, is a common technique in many industry sectors. Following a renaissance of integral joints for timber frame structures, recent research investigates techniques for the attachment of timber plate structures. This paper introduces double through tenon joints, which allow for the rapid, precise and fully integral assembly of doubly-curved folded surface structures with two interconnected layers of cross-laminated engineered wood panels. The shape of the plates and the assembly sequence allow for an attachment without additional connectors or adhesives. The fabrication and assembly constraint based design is achieved through algorithms, which automatically generate the geometry of the parts and the G-Code for the fabrication. We present the fabrication and assembly of prototypes fabricated with 3D CNC milling and laser cutting systems, comparing and discussing the advantages and disadvantages of the individual techniques.
Given a structural topology, a reciprocal frame has, in most cases, many different configurations, that can be obtained changing its boundary constraints. Here we propose a mathematical procedure to check if such a structure is kinematically determined when a particular geometry is given by fixing these constraints.
The task is performed to help producing tools for the general understanding and design of reciprocal frames.
Polyhedral meshes (PM) - meshes having planar faces - have enjoyed a
rise in popularity in recent years due to their importance in
architectural and industrial design. However, they are also notoriously
difficult to generate and manipulate. Previous methods start with a
smooth surface and then apply elaborate meshing schemes to create
polyhedral meshes approximating the surface. In this paper, we describe
a reverse approach: given the topology of a mesh, we explore the space
of possible planar meshes with that topology. Our approach is based on a
complete characterization of the maximal linear spaces of polyhedral
meshes contained in the curved manifold of polyhedral meshes with a
given topology. We show that these linear spaces can be described as
nullspaces of differential operators, much like harmonic functions are
nullspaces of the Laplacian operator. An analysis of this operator
provides tools for global and local design of a polyhedral mesh, which
fully expose the geometric possibilities and limitations of the given
topology.
The objective of this paper is to discuss the characteristics of a family of space structures that are referred to as 'nexorades'. Typically, a nexorade is constructed from scaffolding tubes, connected together with swivel couplers. An important application of nexorades is for shelters of various sizes and shapes for temporary or permanent purposes. In such a shelter, the structural skeleton is provided by a nexorade and the cover is provided by a membrane material.
Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Surrey, 2000.
Architects, artists, and designers have been fascinated by robots for many decades, from Villemard’s utopian vision of an architect building a house with robotic labor in 1910, to the design of buildings that are robots themselves, such as Archigram’s Walking City. Today, they are again approaching the topic of robotic fabrication but this time employing a different strategy: instead of utopian proposals like Archigram’s or the highly specialized robots that were used by Japan’s construction industry in the 1990s, the current focus of architectural robotics is on industrial robots. These robotic arms have six degrees of freedom and are widely used in industry, especially for automotive production lines. What makes robotic arms so interesting for the creative industry is their multi-functionality: instead of having to develop specialized machines, a multifunctional robot arm can be equipped with a wide range of end-effectors, similar to a human hand using various tools. Therefore, architectural research into robotics is not so much directed at reinventing machines for architectural fabrication, but rather at reusing industrial robots as a well-established basis and adapting them for architectural purposes by developing custom software interfaces and end-effectors. By doing this, architects, artists and designers have advanced from being mere “users” of robots and have successfully emerged as recognized developers and trendsetters in robotic
fabrication.
This book publishes the proceedings of the fi rst international conference on robotic fabrication in architecture, art, and design, Rob|Arch.
This paper presents a novel approach to non-standard timber assembly - Robotic Timber Construction (RTC) - where robotic fabrication is used to expand additive digital fabrication techniques towards industrial full scale dimensions. Featuring robotic systems that grasp, manipulate, and finally position building components according to a precise digital blueprint, RTC combines robotic assembly procedures and advanced digital design of non-standard timber structures. The resulting architectural morphologies allow for a convergence of aesthetic and functional concerns, enabling structural optimisation through the locally differentiated aggregation of material. Initiated by the group of Gramazio Kohler Research at ETH Zurich, this approach offers a new perspective on automated timber construction, where the focus is shifted from the processing of single parts towards the assembly of generic members in space. As such, RTC promotes unique advantages over conventional approaches to timber construction, such as, for example, CNC joinery and cutting: through the automated placement of material exactly where it is needed, RTC combines additive and largely waste-free construction with economic assembly procedures, it does not require additional external building reference, and it offers digital control across the entire building process, even when the design and assembly information are highly complex. This paper considers 1) research parameters for the individual components of RTC (such as computational design processes, construction methods and fabrication strategies), and 2) the architectural implications of integrating these components into a systemic, unifying process at the earliest stages of design. Overall, RTC leads to profound changes in the design, performance and expressive language of architecture and thus fosters the creation of architecture that profoundly reinvents its constructive repertoire.
The Karamba plug-in developed by Clemens Preisinger in collaboration with Bollinger + Grohmann Engineers has been developed to predict the behaviour of structures under external loads. Intended to be used by architects rather than being solely confined to an engineering setting, it enables a seamless flow of data between structural and geometric models. Preisinger here describes the program's evolution and application.
The specialist practice designtoproduction consults on the digital production of complex architectural designs. Here, co-founder Fabian Scheurer charts the relatively recent journey that architecture has taken from the regular to the irregular. He provides a comprehensive account of how this shift to curvilinear and complex forms has impacted on design and production methods, and the strengths and pitfalls of parametric design and CNC fabrication. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Design for assembly-digital prefabrication of complex timber structures
- F Scheurer
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prefabrication of complex timber structures. In Beyond the Limits of Man, Proceedings of
the IASS 2013 Symposium, Wroclaw. (2013)
Materialising complexity. Architectural Des
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Form-finding of reciprocal frames with the method of translations
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Mesnil, R., Douthe C., Baverel O., and Gobin T.: Form-finding of reciprocal frames with
the method of translations. Automation in Construction, accepted (2018) -.
Engineered timber structures in the UK. 3ème Forum Bois Construction
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