Monthly Archives: October 2013

Structural Detail Models, Year 2 BA Architecture

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DSC01345Last week 2nd year students were given the task of further refining their designs for structural elements. By taking their initial ideas to the next stage they came up against many more problems to solve in particular how joining replicated components would work in practice as they made seven identical units to work with one another towards supporting a structure or forming a building form. DSC01314 DSC01315 DSC01317 DSC01325DSC01319In many cases designs will test the limits of the machines available anda degree of initiative will be required to solve the problem. In Georgia Govan’s case the angle she required for her components to fit together was too sharp to be machined and the profile nature of the laser cutter meant she had to use a ‘Jig’ to get the job done. This side of a task can often be time consuming and should not be underestimated. A lot of thought is required to design an effective jig but it’s worth the effort and the learning curve you will go through.
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DSC01323 DSC01335Marco Wan had an interesting approach to creating the curved planes for his design. This process is called ‘glulam’ and as the name hints at, involves laminating sheets together with layers of glue and material whilst clamped in a given shape. This produced a very strong formed shape that can and is used for many 1:1 building applications. Very nice to see a student employing this technique in their model development.

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Structural Detail Model by Andra Calin

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2nd year student Andra Calin has been developing a structural concept model that is expanding on a sketch model inspired by the form of a bird. Initially Andra produced a paper model of her idea which loosely defined what the structure would look like. For this next model she has increased its scale and added more detail. This kind of model will raise questions regarding connection detail and overall practicality of the structure.

2nd Year Andra Calin (1)

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For me its these intermediate types of development model that are the most fun to construct as they help clearly define details that can be replicated or improved upon and I hope to see more of these in the coming weeks as these ideas progress! Scott

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Workshop Capacity

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We thought it worth making a post about the 20 student capacity limits on our workshop.

Unfortunately due to the number of potential hazards in the workshop environment there is a restriction on the number of students we can supervise at any one time. This has been enforced several times over the last week resulting in a few disappointed and frustrated students. When in the workshop you should always sign in and collect an apron before starting your work. This is a good indicator of how busy it is as we only have enough aprons for our maximum capacity. If you can’t find an apron on the hangers its a good bet we have reached our maximum number of students for that time.

Aprons (2)

The best way to avoid having to wait for free space is to get into the workshop as early as possible both in your projects and each day. Asking for tips and advice about your project at an early stage will benefit how you plan your time and allow us to advise the best approach for what you are trying to produce.

Machine booking is also essential to avoid disappointment late on in your projects. We’ll see you all soon (if you aren’t here again already!).

Scott and Jim

Experimenting with DaVinci

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Mona Lisa (1)This Mona Lisa 3D print was made from a image that was applied to Standard Primitive Box object in 3D Studio Max this had a Displaced Modifier attached, the box has then had   increased segments to make the object appear more three dimensional.  This will turn the 2D black and white Jpeg Image into a 3D meshed object that can be printed later.

Mona Lisa (3) Mona Lisa (6)Using the black and white image of Mona Lisa we have done a number of controlled tests using a raster engrave setting on the laser machine.  Paper was used initially and then card and timber this has had a number of interesting results and is proving to be very effective if an image or graphic is need for a model or surface decoration for an object.

These experiments were carried out to demonstrate yet another potential use of the CAD driven machines in our workshop and could be applied to anything from facade detailing to micro site modelling.

 

First Year Starter Projects

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Last week brought us an onslaught of eager first year students all keen to make their ideas into reality in the workshop. As many found, this wasn’t as straight forward as they might have thought! With projects like this it is crucial that things get moving quickly for avoid disappointment with machine bookings of workshop space as several students found last Friday.

This is an important lesson for future tasks as space in the workshop is at a premium and demand will be especially high in the last few days before submissions. The best way to prepare for this to the organised ahead of time and get to a stage where you can be making as early as possible in your unit.

For the students who did make it in there was a fantastic array of sketch models and concept models produced. As with all students, no matter what your experience within a workshop environment we encourage you to ask for assistance if unsure about your projects before starting. This allows us to advise the best construction methods and materials choice for your purpose and can help us free up space to get as many of your projects completed as possible. We look forward to see what comes our way next!

‘Extreme Conditions’ Predictive Contour Model

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Stockport Contour Model (3)

This 3rd Year contour model of a site in Stockport has been made to demonstrate the effects of pollution in the area. Smoke, trapped in the lower box section of the model will escape through holes on the base of the site representing pollution from the area. The river area will eventually be flooded and show and overspill to the surrounding urban area.

Models of this kind are described as being ‘Predictive models’ in that they are attempting to show how a change may occur over time. The process of ‘flooding’ on this model will likely result in its destruction so it’s life will be short.

Stockport Contour Model (4) Stockport Contour Model (6) The group used laser cut MDF to build up the site contours and band saw cut MDF for the site roadway. The buildings were made from Jelutong wood blocks and the base box from band saw cut acrylic with acrylic square section.

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Garden Pavilions Continued – Learning Curves and Problem Solving

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Development of the 6th year pavilion projects is continuing at pace down in the workshop. Test models often bring assembly issues to the surface which Alexander Valakh, Lorena Chan and Nancy Chan have been finding with their concepts. This is exactly why these models play a vital role in design development.  Here Alex has created his outer skin from laser cut polypropylene plastic sheet fixed with pop rivets. This has proved tricky and mid way through assembly it became clear that a more uniform stapled fixing would have been more effective. Lorena and Nancy have spent the last few days fixing components for this concept together. The original concept was to have a smooth curved structure forming the tunnel walkway. As the components were fixed the group found that the curve was un-uniform due to the varying strain between components. Whilst this isn’t exactly how the concept was drawn it has still proved an interesting experiment and may still be taken to the next stage.

Pavilion Project (4)The concrete cast (below) has also had some teething problems with the cast numbers not turning out as refined as the group would have liked. This process will require more thought if it is to be taken forward. The group has found that their choice of aggregate or quantity used may be to blame for the irregular casting around the number details. One thing is for sure it wont be going too far given its weight despite having a polystyrene block inside to reduce the material used!

Garden Pavilions at Dunham Massey 2013

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Much like the brief set this time last year students are currently in the concept stages of designing a series of pavilions to be constructed at 1:1 at Dunahm Massey (Read our blog post here). This project was challenging for both staff and students last year and really pushed the boundaries of what the workshops can handle.

This year the project is aiming to be more refined and, with support of workshop staff, come to an effective and ‘speed-bump’ free conclusion!

Alexander Valakh (Below) is working on several sketch models to help convey his project named ‘The Shadow of War’ to tutors in the hope it will be taken to the next stage of development.

To test his theory for eventual 1:1 construction Alex had produced a plywood sketch model in identical fashion to the full size proposal on our CNC. Producing this model has allowed Alex to explore problems he may encounter whilst using this method and has already identified several areas that will need more thought. These issues are not a hindrance to the design process but feed into it and shouldn’t be seen as a waste of time. problem solving through trial and error models are often the best way of refining a design for production.

This group is also producing another concept pavilion using paper to create the sketch model. The flower-like components are created and joined using pop rivets which will eventually form a curved canopy. 

Another (!) concept from the same group involves casting concrete blocks as part of a wall sculpture. This is part of the same brief but is less interactive due to the nature of the proposed site. This was poured yesterday afternoon and is still setting so we’ll hopefully have some more pictures of how that is progressing by the end of the week.

 

Kinetic Sculptures

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Over the last two weeks groups of 3rd year students have been in the workshop producing work under the brief ‘kinetic sculpture’. This broad brief allows them to interpret the idea of movement in construction and helps to prepare them for later units which will ask them to explore adaptable buildings – highly likely to feature moving components.

We will post more on this unit as it develops!

Plaster Casting guide inspired by Timothy Richards Models

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Earlier this year myself and Jim went on a visit to Timothy Richards workshop in Bath. Read more about that visit here.

In response to what we saw there we decided to have a go at casting some facade tests of our own to demonstrate to you the potential when using this method for modelmaking. Starting with some reference images of the University of Manchester Archway we decided to focus on one of the Gothic style windows as our subject.

Making a ‘Master’

Initially recreating the form of this stone work in miniature may seem time consuming but as you will see the end results are fantastic and the intricate detail featured is easily replicated by casting.

A good way of creating details like this is by layering sheet material, in this case acrylic. Planning the layers on CAD will allow you to break down the details into manageable  stages (Above). When combined, the layers of laser cut acrylic form the recesses and steps in the winder with the radius in the stone work being replicated using a filler and hand sanding (Below).

Spraying a coat of primer paint on hand finished areas can help to identify any imperfections in the surface (Below). This primer can then be sanded back

The extra details of the window can be formed using styrene and or abs strip with any further radius being creating again with filler. Once complete the master model is ready to be moulded. 

 Pouring a Silicone Mould 

The are a wide range of silicone’s available for mould making so it is always advisable to check the specification of individual products before committing to use them on your master model. Firstly ensure the master is secured to a mould former – in this case we used a storage try which suited but bespoke formers are usually required.

Ensure the silicone is mixed to the manufacturers instructions and pour in a thin stream to avoid any air bubbles forming against the master mould. Ensure the master is sufficiently covered and allow to cure for the recommended time.

Once cured carefully remove the silicone mould preserving the master mould to be reused if any problems occur. The benefit of using silicone is that the flex allows the master and eventually cast items to be easily removed without much stain on the items themselves.  Some minor trimming of silicone overlap may be required before the mould is ready to be used for plaster casting.Plaster Casting

As with the silicone there are many types of plaster available so always check to see if the specification suits your needs. In this case we simply used stone plaster mixed to the correct consistency and poured directly into the silicone mould – no release agent required.

Once the plaster has set it can be carefully removed from the mould giving a completed cast. These sections can be used as tests or replicated to create a more detailed facade. 

One area we have touched on is adding pigments to the plaster mix to give varied results in terms of finished cast colouring. We will revisit this area when we have time to experiment some more and let you know how it goes. If you have any ideas that could make use of this method of making be sure to get in touch either via email or in person at the workshop. We are more than happy to help! Scott & Jim