Experiments in Shell Structures & Timber Membranes
Project By: Matthew Lawton
The goal of timber skin is to create a system reliant entirely of wood that goes beyond the standard conventions of traditional wood structures. By utilizing parametric design software it is the goal of the studio to create such a system that is adaptable and efficient.
By exploring the opportunities offered by digital fabrication we are now able to produce very complex geometries which make up a complex and overall more efficient methodology of design.
Project By: Jie Liu
The project focused on the potential of liberalism in component shell structures. The design starts from the stability of the graphic by using four triangle surfaces to create structural depth within the component. Assembling the components through hyperfine lines creates a continuous structural order to place the tennis court and related functional spaces. Loads are transferred through the axes of each components, together with secondary cable joists. The gaps between the components respond to sunlight, establishing the natural lighting system for the whole project.
Project By: Lindsey Duthie
Radiolaria are unicellular microorganisms that live in the ocean. Radiolarians condense their structure according to the flow of forces by controlling the diameter of the individual bubbles intersecting their global sphere. Bubble clusters with a high amount of small diameter bubbles have a large amount of membrane surface, which finally results in a denser skeleton structure. The density of the skeletal structure reflects the amount of stress that can be carried within the structure. In this way radiolarians optimize the geometry of the grid of the skeletal structure according to the magnitude and the direction of the applied loads. Their siliceous skeleton consists of connected arrays of tubular struts forming a great variety of shells, often with a hexagonal structuring on their surfaces.
This project explores the architectural transfer of biological principles of the radiolarian’s skeleton morphology, in an attempt to achieve a material efficient structural timber system.
