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Natural Complexity. An Introduction to Structural Design with Tree Forks: Innovative Techniques of Representation in Architectural Design
Abstract
Amongst construction materials wood offers a unique potential for deriving complex spatial geometries from its grown fibrous structure. The inherent material properties such as grain direction, can be used as generative parameters for innovative timber structures. With the possibilities of 3D-scanning and Computer Tomography the anatomy of wood can be exploited as a design driver for spatial structures. This chapter introduces a design concept of utilizing natural forked branches as components in structural frameworks.
... Torghabehi et al. (2018) investigated the potential use of natural tree bifurcations as a novel joinery method in heavy timber construction through five-axis router processing [19]. Allner and Kroehnert (2019) [29], along with Allner et al. (2020) [31], proposed assembly concepts and design methods for spatial frame structures using tree forks. "The Wood Chip Barn" project stands out as a prominent and comprehensive case of a 1:1 scale experimental natural tree fork structure constructed using robotic fabrication technologies [30]. ...
... First, due to the uniqueness of each tree fork, adaptability in machining equipment, component fixtures, and localization techniques is essential to accommodate the variations among components [30]. It currently necessitates laborious adjusting fixtures, localizing components, and planning machining paths, all tailored to the specific shape of each individual component [19,29]. Second, processing tree forks also presents a challenge in managing vibrations, primarily due to the uneven dimensions and properties of branches. ...
... This assembly strategy harnesses the multi-directional assembly potential provided by the three branches of the tree. Consequently, this approach can be employed in constructing freeform surfaces and spatial structures composed of nodes with three branches (Fig. 5), as also indicated by Allner et al. [29,31]. ...
Natural wood, renowned for its low carbon emissions, renewability, and impressive durability, is gaining prominence in the construction industry as a sustainable solution. However, the irregularities in size and shape of natural wood pose challenges in precise measurement and fabrication. Although innovative methods have emerged for materials like curved logs and small-diameter wood, tree forks have not been extensively investigated due to their complex shapes. This research introduces cooperative robotic fabrication to address the challenges associated with tree fork construction. An integrated workflow has been established, encompassing material scanning, co-design of fabrication tools and joint systems, and cooperative robotic fabrication. The proposed workflow was evaluated in the construction of a tree fork-based tower structure. This study provides a technological solution for the sustainable utilization of natural tree forks and holds potential for extending into the construction of other non-standard materials with geometric complexity.
... International Journal of Wood Culture 4 (2024) 58-95 and fabrication-specific parameters into design and construction (Kolarevic & Klinger 2013). Thus, they enable the processing of heterogeneous materials with anisotropic properties, empowering designers to utilize the material properties of timber during the design process (Allner & Kroehnert 2019). Paradoxically, while today's building industry embraces highly advanced levels of technology, construction practices and technical solutions have not changed significantly for many centuries. ...
... Material integration seeks to understand material properties as generative parameters for the design (Allner & Kroehnert 2019). It explores the use of FIGURE 2 Hygroscopic behavior of timber, ratios of dimensional change for timber in constructional use due to variations in moisture content and diagrammatic description of the two principles utilizing dimensional change for joining (own illustration) timber as a natural, low-engineered material and aims to integrate the tree's anatomy and its heterogeneous properties into the constructional logic of structures (Menges et al. 2016). ...
Timber has regained popularity in construction in recent years due to its ecological benefits. The connection methods used in this study play a vital role in the sustainability of structures and materials. Monomaterial timber connections are sustainable alternatives to metal fasteners and adhesives commonly used in construction. Wood is an anisotropic material with dimensional changes resulting from changes in atmospheric conditions. Understanding and accounting for this property are crucial for the longevity and functionality of wooden structures. The cumulative knowledge of wood´s material characteristics and its use in design, construction, and human culture can be defined as wood culture developed through artists’ and craftsmen’s experiences, science, and industry. The development of various techniques by artisans to leverage the dimensional change in wood to join timber elements is a major contribution to wood culture. In contrast, until now, the timber industry has mainly focused on limiting or controlling these changes in standardized production and has neglected their use for joining timber elements. However, technological advances have changed dramatically. The digital manufacturing and analysis of wood structures have the potential to guide machine tools and may allow the integration of dimensional changes, especially in the design and construction of timber joints. This study explores the state-of-the-art utilization of dimensional changes in timber to join elements in craft, material science, and industrial production. The potential of techniques utilizing this behavior for innovation in modern design and construction and their implications for wood culture were examined. Research gaps and avenues for further research are identified.
... Utilizar ramas naturales bifurcadas como componentes de estructuras considerando como reto la programación parametrizada entre control y coincidencia, permitir resolver que la madera no necesita ser transformada para utilizarla en estructuras, pudiendo aprovechar la estructura natural para la configuración de estructuras con nuevas lógicas espaciales. (Allner & Kroehnert, 2019). ...
Resumen: Los antecedentes a exponer en este documento exploran una alternativa productiva para el bosque templado de Chile y Argentina. La abundancia de la especie Amomyrtus, invisibilizada por la industria de la madera, presenta, para campesinos ha-bitantes y propietarios de bosque nativo, una alternativa de sustento económico como material combustible y algunos otros usos, para el trabajo cotidiano proveniente del cono-cimiento cultural tradicional y las características de resistencia estructural de la madera. El trabajo, en desarrollo en el marco de la tesis doctoral y resultados a nivel de laboratorio y proyectos de investigación, desarrollo e innovación (I+D+i), permite ver alternativas constructivas que proponen el uso sustentable de la madera de Amomyrtus como materia prima estructural, producida en el contexto campesino en una dinámica dialógica entre el diseño y el conocimiento cultural de los habitantes del bosque que favorece la diversifica-ción productiva del bosque nativo templado de la región sur austral. Palabras clave: diversificación productiva-diseño dialógico-madera Amomyrtus-bos-que templado [Resúmenes en inglés y portugués en la página 49]
The question whether contemporary information technology with its potential for individual fabrication allows for a new approach to the uniqueness that is offered to us by nature was discussed within a 8-day workshop. 19 students of KADK explored the performative potential of naturally angled and forked wood-a desired material until 19th century, but swept away by industrialization and its standardization of processes and materials.
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.
ct timber suppliers for shipyards
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cf wooden handle of the cooper axe used by the neolithic hunter Otzi 5.000 years ago
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Wood chip barn. Design + Make. The Architectural Association London
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