All posts in Fabrication
Grasshopper to Catia Progress
We’re continuing progress with Dassault Systèmes on implementing Catia into architectural process. Our first course of study aims at the Grasshopper/Catia workflow, and since our previous post, we’ve delved into Knowledgeware, the scripting platform for Catia.
SF Field Trip
We made a visit to SF for the 2013 KA Connect conference and managed to stop by Kreysler & Associates, and PATH while we were there.
Single Line Font for Fabrication
A common part of fabrication is labeling the parts to make assembling easier, but typical TrueType fonts generally aren’t ideal for fabrication. After looking into them a little, we discovered …
Casting Experiment
We’ve started exploring ways of casting some of the pieces that we previously showed in the post on Acoustic Reflection Patterns and thought we’d share what’s been done so far. The diffusive …
TCPA – Mockup of Feature Wall
The mockup for the Lobby Feature Wall of the Tobin Center for the Performing Arts is under construction. This post shares some images and a bit about the process that got us to this point.
Focusing on Fabrication – Material Efficiency
Space frames are an amazing type of structural system, but they’re often composed of hundreds or thousands of parts. We’re exploring a version of a space frame structure that has a drastically reduced number of pieces that are constructed with a minimal amount of material waste. The hope is that we can find more use for space frames besides long span structures.
Focusing on Fabrication – Part Nesting
Recently, we’ve been having discussions about the effort that goes into making the formwork for casting an object and how wasteful that mold making process can be depending on the amount of shaping that is desired. This is one in a series of posts where we’ll be looking at how an early focus on the fabrication process can influence the design of a object or system and the potentials that might arise from this approach to design.
Kerf Bending
We take an active interest in minimal waste digital fabrication methods. It’s a good challenge to create efficient templates for subtractive manufacturing, and successful results allow us to create more prototypes with limited stock material. This post focuses on digital models for kerf bending, a traditional method for creating flexible forms out of rigid materials.
Medical Mart Progress Update
It’s been over a year since we last posted about the Cleveland Medical Mart, but a lot has happened since then. In the summer of 2011, we had the opportunity to travel to the Construction Research Laboratory in Miami, FL to witness the performance testing of a mockup of a corner of the Medical Mart. This past May we traveled to Cleveland to see the building coming together. This post shares some photos and videos of where the building is at this point.
Laser Cutters and Circuit Boards
Lately we’ve been looking at the Arduino, an open source microcontroller which enables interactive designs. As we delve further into open-sourced electronics, we’ll get the chance to create custom circuit boards. And while Fritzing is a great site for helping with this, laser cutting a circuit board in house would not only be awesome, but would also save time and money.