HYGROSHELL – ITECH RESEARCH PAVILION
Chicago Architecture Biennial, 2023

At the nexus of complex ecological, socioeconomic, and sociocultural crises, the built environment urgently requires a fundamentally new approach to design, engineering, and construction. As we shift from an era of energy abundance and industrial materials to one of energy scarcity and natural materials, material intelligence will become synonymous with construction logic. HygroShell, which makes its debut at the Chicago Architecture Biennial 2023, is at the forefront of this paradigm shift, harnessing the previously undesirable hygroscopic material properties of wood to create form and structure, exploring a new kind of bio-based and bio-inspired architecture.

HygroShell investigates a first-of-its-kind, self-constructing-timber building system, heralding new material cultures in architecture. Utilizing novel computational methods to access timber’s inherent shape-changing properties, HygroShell showcases the design, engineering, and production of a full-scale, long-spanning, lightweight shell made from flat-packed, components curved in situ. Each component contains architectural, structural, and kinetic characteristics embedded into its flat state, actuating on site to produce a curved, shingle-clad, interlocked geometry.

The result is a delicately arced canopy spanning 10 meters while only 28 millimeters thin. Diverging from typical structural typologies, the roof’s single-curved design unlocks new potentials for resource-saving, thin-shell construction with bio-based materials. HygroShell explores an alternative approach to future-proof architecture using the fundamental properties of timber as an in-situ shaping mechanism, structural driver, and design foundation. Through this computationally enabled understanding of natural materials, it is possible to achieve deeper architectural integration in both material and form, and to explore an ecologically effective, yet expressive material culture in architecture.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/hygroshell/

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PROJECT TEAM

Institute for Computational Design and Construction – ICD

Dr.-Ing. Dylan Wood, Laura Kiesewetter, Prof. Achim Menges

Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design – ITKE

Dr.-Ing. Axel Körner, Kenryo Takahashi, Prof. Dr.-Ing. Jan Knippers

Concept Development, System Development, Fabrication & Construction:

Andre Aymonod, Wai Man Chau, Min Deng, Fabian Eidner, Maxime Fouillat, Hussamaldeen Gomaa, Yara Karazi, Arindam Katoch, Oliver Moldow, Ioannis Moutevelis, Xi Peng, Yuxin Qiu, Alexander Reiner, Sarvenaz Sardari, Edgar Schefer, Selin Sevim, Ali Shokri, Sai Praneeth Singu, Xin Sun, Ivana Trifunovic, Alina Turean, Aaron Wagner, Chia-Yen Wu, Weiqi Xie, Shuangying Xu, Esra Yaman, and Pengfei Zhang

With support of: Katja Rinderspacher, Simon Bechert, Michael Schneider, Michael Preisack, Sven Hänzka, Sergej Klassen, Hendrik Köhler, Dennis Bartl, Sebastian Esser, Gregor Neubauer, Gabriel Kerekes and the Institute for Engineering Geodesy (IIGS)

Cluster of Excellence Integrative Computational Design and Construction for Architecture – IntCDC

PROJECT SUPPORT

Chicago Architecture Biennial

German Research Foundation (DFG)

University of Stuttgart – School of Talents

Digitize Wood – Ministry of Rural Development and Consumer Protection Baden-Wuerttemberg (MLR)

Zukunft Bau – Federal Ministry of Housing, Urban Development and Construction

Kolb Sägewerk

Henkel AG

Scantronic

Brookhuis Technologies

MAISON FIBRE – VENICE ARCHITECTURE BIENNIAL
17th International Architecture Exhibition–La Biennale di Venezia 2021

The contribution of the Institute for Computational Design and Construction (ICD) and the Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart to the Biennale Architettura 2021 is an exploration of an alternative material culture, a term commonly used in the social sciences and the humanities. Maison Fibre, the central display of the exhibition, is both a full-scale architectural installation and an open model for the cultural change being postulated. It deals with the departure from pre-digital, material-intensive construction using mostly heavy, isotropic building materials such as concrete, stone, and steel—which are often extracted in faraway places, processed into building elements, and then transported over long distances—to genuinely digital construction methods with locally differentiated and locally manufactured structures made of highly anisotropic materials: an architecture made of fibers.

Maison Fibre is based on a decade of research on robotically manufactured fiber composite structures. It is the first multi-story architecture of this kind, featuring inhabitable fibrous floor slabs and walls. The entire structure consists exclusively of so-called fiber rovings, essentially bundles of endless, unidirectional fibers. To underline the model character of the project, a system of reconfigurable wall and ceiling elements based on the 2.5-meter grid dimension typical of residential buildings was developed.

The project’s projective aspect is derived from its reference to a formative model of architectural history, Le Corbusier’s Maison Dom-Ino. The floor area of the installation corresponds to the historical reference, as does the division over three floors and the versatile, expandable system. The radically different nature of the fibrous – compared to tectonics of the massive – can be experienced spatially and tactilely by the visitors. Another key difference is the possible adaptability and thus the interaction with the existing building stock, which will be decisive for future urban buildings. This is deliberately emphasized by integrating the existing columns of the Arsenale building into the installation.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/maison-fibre/

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PROJECT TEAM

ICD Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges, Niccolo Dambrosio, Katja Rinderspacher, Christoph Zechmeister. Rebeca Duque Estrada, Fabian Kannenberg, Christoph Schlopschnat

ITKE Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Jan Knippers, Nikolas Früh, Marta Gil Pérez, Riccardo La Magna

Lab support: Aleksa Arsic, Sergej Klassen, Kai Stiefenhofer

Student Assistance: TzuYing Chen, Vanessa Costalonga Martins, Sacha Cutajar, Christo van der Hoven, Pei-Yi Huang, Madie Rasanani, Parisa Shafiee, Anand Nirbhaybhai Shah, Max Benjamin Zorn

In collaboration with: FibR GmbH, Stuttgart
Moritz Dörstelmann, Ondrej Kyjanek, Philipp Essers, Philipp Gülke
with support of: Erik Zanetti, Elpiza Kolo, Prateek Bajpai, Jamiel Abubaker, Konstantinos Doumanis, Julian Fial, Sergio Maggiulli

PROJECT SUPPORT

University of Stuttgart
Cluster of Excellence IntCDC, EXC 2120
Ministry of Science, Research and the Arts, Baden-Württemberg

GETTYLAB
Teijin Carbon Europe GmbH
Elisabetta Cane with Bipaled s.r.l.

Trimble Solutions Germany GmbH

ELYTRA FILAMENT PAVILION
WAIC, West Bund, Shanghai

The Elytra Filament Pavilion constituted one of the architectural center pieces of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference 2018 (WAIC). Located in Shanghai’s prime art district, the West Bund, the pavilion demonstrates how architectural design can unfold from a computational synergy of structural engineering, environmental engineering and production engineering, resulting in unique spatial and aesthetic qualities. The conference is a platform for the world’s most influential AI scientists, entrepreneurs and politicians to engage in high-level dialogues on leading AI technologies and trends in the AI industry.

The pavilion was commissioned by the Victoria and Albert Museum for its central courtyard in 2016.

In 2017 it was also on display at the Vitra Design Museum.

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DESIGN, ENGINEERING AND FABRICATION TEAM

Achim Menges with Moritz Dörstelmann
ICD–Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Achim Menges Architect, Frankfurt
Team also includes: Marshall Prado (fabrication development), Aikaterini Papadimitriou, Niccolo Dambrosio, Roberto Naboni, with support by Dylan Wood, Daniel Reist

Jan Knippers
ITKE–Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart
Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering, Stuttgart, New York
Team also includes: Valentin Koslowski & James Solly (structure development), Thiemo Fildhuth (structural sensors)

Thomas Auer
Transsolar Climate Engineering, Stuttgart
Building Technology and Climate Responsive Design, TU München
Team also includes: Elmira Reisi, Boris Plotnikov

With the support of:
Michael Preisack, Christian Arias, Pedro Giachini, Andre Kauffman, Thu Nguyen, Nikolaos Xenos, Giulio Brugnaro, Alberto Lago, Yuliya Baranovskaya, Belen Torres, IFB University of Stuttgart (Prof. P. Middendorf)

Commission:
Victoria & Albert Museum, London 2016

FUNDING

The Elytra Filament Pavilion on the Vitra Campus has been realised with the generous support of:

Design Circle – Freunde des Vitra Design Museums e.V.

GETTYLAB

University of Stuttgart

The Elytra Filament Pavilion has been produced with the support of:

Victoria & Albert Museum, London
University of Stuttgart

GETTYLAB
Kuka Roboter GmbH + Kuka Robotics UK Ltd
SGL Carbon SE
Hexion
Covestro AG
FBGS International NV
Arnold AG
PFEIFER Seil- und Hebetechnik GmbH
Stahlbau Wendeler GmbH + Co. KG
Lange+Ritter GmbH
STILL GmbH

ELYTRA FILAMENT PAVILION
Vitra Campus, Weil am Rhein

With the exhibition »Hello, Robot. Design between Human and Machine«, the Vitra Design Museum presents a major exhibition that examines the current boom in robotics. It shows the variety of forms that robotics takes today and at the same time broadens our awareness of the associated ethical, social, and political issues. Outside the museum, the »Elytra Filament Pavilion« complements this exhibition.

The bionic baldachin is an impressive example of the growing influence of robotics on architecture. Its individual modules were defined by an algorithm and then produced with the help of an industrial robot, realised by a team from the University of Stuttgart. After its premiere at the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, it is now on view on the Vitra Campus.

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DESIGN, ENGINEERING AND FABRICATION TEAM

Achim Menges with Moritz Dörstelmann
ICD–Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Achim Menges Architect, Frankfurt
Team also includes: Marshall Prado (fabrication development), Aikaterini Papadimitriou, Niccolo Dambrosio, Roberto Naboni, with support by Dylan Wood, Daniel Reist

Jan Knippers
ITKE–Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart
Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering, Stuttgart, New York
Team also includes: Valentin Koslowski & James Solly (structure development), Thiemo Fildhuth (structural sensors)

Thomas Auer
Transsolar Climate Engineering, Stuttgart
Building Technology and Climate Responsive Design, TU München
Team also includes: Elmira Reisi, Boris Plotnikov

With the support of:
Michael Preisack, Christian Arias, Pedro Giachini, Andre Kauffman, Thu Nguyen, Nikolaos Xenos, Giulio Brugnaro, Alberto Lago, Yuliya Baranovskaya, Belen Torres, IFB University of Stuttgart (Prof. P. Middendorf)

Commission:
Victoria & Albert Museum, London 2016

FUNDING

The Elytra Filament Pavilion on the Vitra Campus has been realised with the generous support of: Design Circle – Freunde des Vitra Design Museums e.V.,
GETTY LAB and the University of Stuttgart

The Elytra Filament Pavilion has been produced with the support of:

Victoria & Albert Museum, London
University of Stuttgart

Getty Lab
Kuka Roboter GmbH + Kuka Robotics UK Ltd
SGL Carbon SE
Hexion
Covestro AG
FBGS International NV
Arnold AG
PFEIFER Seil- und Hebetechnik GmbH
Stahlbau Wendeler GmbH + Co. KG
Lange+Ritter GmbH
STILL GmbH

SEWN TIMBER SHELL
Inaugural Exhibition of the Design Society, Shenzhen

The Sewn Timber Shell investigates the use of robotics and sensing mechanisms in combination with garment design and industrial sewing techniques to explore a new way of fabricating tailored wood structures and re-engaging with traditional craftsmanship.

The related research studies traditional garment patterning and connection techniques still used in fashion today and re-interprets them in a new material context. Fabric is replaced by thin sheets of plywood, which establishes an altered relation between material pliability and stiffness and thus introduces loadbearing capacity to the novel material system. Sewing plays a similar role as in garment design, as the seams enable tailoring three-dimensional curved shapes from a flat sheet material that envelope the body. If applied on an architectural scale, the seams become connections that shape the material based on the elastic bending of wood, which creates structural capacity and spatial enclosure.

An adaptive robotic fabrication process enables the necessary scaling-up and the handling of the complex interrelations between the patterning shapes and the material behavior. In contrast to repetitive manufacturing processes, where automation relies on the execution of predetermined and fully defined steps, here sensing technology is employed to enable a workflow that synthesizes material computation and robotic fabrication in real time. In this process, the shape of the tailored work piece is repetitively scanned. The segments contain previously made connections in the form of markers that are tracked live for the generation of the robotic movement. Throughout that process, the wood pieces are sequentially added and permanently joined by a sewn connection. A custom digital modelling design tool is used to derive a porous, undulating, triple-layered system that coherently integrates material properties, fabrication constraints and assembly sequence. This intricate play between materiality and materialization results in a sewn shell that extends the characteristics of wood architecture and at the same time unfolds a unique textural and spatial articulation.

The project was on show at the inaugural exhibition »Minding the Digital« of the Design Society, China’s new leading design museum in Shenzhen.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/icd-sewn-timber-shell-2017/

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PROJECT TEAM

ICD – Institute for Computational Design and Construction, University of Stuttgart

Martín Alvarez, Prof. Achim Menges

DDRC – Digital Design Research Center, Tongji University

Prof. Philip Yuan

PROJECT SUPPORT

Sino-German Research Project GZ 1162

Performative Design Methodology based on Robotic Fabrication

Digital Design Research Center Tongji University Shanghai (Prof. Philip Yuan)

Institute for Computational Design and Construction (Prof. Achim Menges)

Research collaborators:

Chai Hua, Samuel Leder, Valentina Soana, Iván Jimenez

ELYTRA FILAMENT PAVILION
Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The Elytra Filament Pavilion celebrates a truly integrative approach to design and engineering. As a centrepiece of the V&A’s Engineering Season it demonstrates how architectural design can unfold from a synergy of structural engineering, environmental engineering and production engineering, resulting in unique spatial and aesthetic qualities. It showcases the profound impact of emerging technologies on our conceptualisation of design, engineering and making, by intensifying the visitors architectural experience of the museum’s central garden. But instead of being merely a static display, the pavilion constitutes a dynamic space and an evolving structure. The cellular canopy grows from an onsite fabrication nucleus, and it does so in response to patterns of inhabitation of the garden over time, driven by real time sensing data. The pavilion’s capacity to be locally produced, to expand and to contract over time provides a vision of future inner city green areas with responsive semi-outdoor spaces that enable a broader spectrum of public activities, and thus extend the use of the scarce resource of public urban ground.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/elytra-filament-pavilion/

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DESIGN, ENGINEERING AND FABRICATION TEAM

Achim Menges with Moritz Dörstelmann
ICD–Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Achim Menges Architect, Frankfurt
Team also includes: Marshall Prado (fabrication development), Aikaterini Papadimitriou, Niccolo Dambrosio, Roberto Naboni, with support by Dylan Wood, Daniel Reist

Jan Knippers
ITKE–Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design, University of Stuttgart
Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering, Stuttgart, New York
Team also includes: Valentin Koslowski & James Solly (structure development), Thiemo Fildhuth (structural sensors)

Thomas Auer
Transsolar Climate Engineering, Stuttgart
Building Technology and Climate Responsive Design, TU München
Team also includes: Elmira Reisi, Boris Plotnikov

With the support of:
Michael Preisack, Christian Arias, Pedro Giachini, Andre Kauffman, Thu Nguyen, Nikolaos Xenos, Giulio Brugnaro, Alberto Lago, Yuliya Baranovskaya, Belen Torres, IFB University of Stuttgart (Prof. P. Middendorf)

Commission:
Victoria & Albert Museum, London 2016

FUNDING

Victoria & Albert Museum, London
University of Stuttgart

Getty Lab

Kuka Roboter GmbH + Kuka Robotics UK Ltd
SGL Carbon SE
Hexion
Covestro AG
FBGS International NV
Arnold AG
PFEIFER Seil- und Hebetechnik GmbH
Stahlbau Wendeler GmbH + Co. KG
Lange+Ritter GmbH
STILL GmbH

HYGROSKIN – METEOROSENSITIVE PAVILION
Permanent Collection, FRAC Centre Orleans, France

The project HygroSkin – Meteorosensitive Pavilion explores a novel mode of climate-responsive architecture. While most attempts towards environmental responsiveness heavily rely on elaborate technical equipment superimposed on otherwise inert material constructs, this project uses the responsive capacity of the material itself. The dimensional instability of wood in relation to moisture content is employed to construct a metereosensitive architectural skin that autonomously opens and closes in response to weather changes but neither requires the supply of operational energy nor any kind of mechanical or electronic control. Here, the material structure itself is the machine.

The travelling pavilion’s modular wooden skin is designed and produced utilizing the self-forming capacity of initially planar plywood sheets to form conical surfaces based on the material’s elastic behavior. Within the deep, concave surface of each robotically fabricated module a weather-responsive aperture is placed. Materially programming the humidity-responisve behaviour of these apertures opens up the possibility for a strikingly simple yet truly ecologically embedded architecture in constant feedback and interaction with its surrounding environment. The responsive wood-composite skin adjusts the porosity of the pavilion in direct response to changes in ambient relative humidity. These climatic changes – which form part of our everyday live but usually escape our conscious perception – trigger the silent, material-innate movement of the wooden skin. This subtle yet constant modulation of the relationship between the pavilion’s exterior and interior provides for a unique convergence of environmental and spatial experiences.

The project was commissioned by the FRAC Centre Orleans for its renowned permanent collection and was first shown in the exhibition »ArchiLab 2013 – Naturalizing Architecture« that opened on 14th of September 2013.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/hygroskin-meteorosensitive-pavilion/

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PROJECT TEAM

Achim Menges Architect, Frankfurt
Achim Menges, Steffen Reichert, Boyan Mihaylov
(Project Development, Design Development)

Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges, Oliver David Krieg, Steffen Reichert, David Correa, Katja Rinderspacher, Tobias Schwinn, Nicola Burggraf, Zachary Christian with Yordan Domuzov, Tobias Finkh, Gergana Hadzhimladenova, Michael Herrick, Vanessa Mayer, Henning Otte, Ivaylo Perianov, Sara Petrova, Philipp Siedler, Xenia Tiefensee, Sascha Vallon, Leyla Yunis
(Scientific Development, Detail Development, Robotic Fabrication, Assembly)

PROJECT FUNDING

FRAC Fonds Régional d’Art Contemporain du Centre
Robert Bosch Stiftung
Kiess GmbH
Cirp GmbH
Holzhandlung Wider GmbH

HYGROSCOPE – METEOROSENSITIVE MORPHOLOGY
Permanent Collection, Centre Pompidou, Paris

The project explores a novel mode of responsive architecture based on the combination of material inherent behaviour and computational morphogenesis. The dimensional instability of wood in relation to moisture content is employed to construct a climate responsive architectural morphology. Suspended within a humidity controlled glass case the model opens and closes in response to climate changes with no need for any technical equipment or energy. Mere fluctuations in relative humidity trigger the silent changes of material-innate movement. The material structure itself is the machine.

The project was commissioned by the Centre Pompidou Paris for its permanent collection and will be first shown in the exhibition »Multiversités Créatives« starting on 2nd of May 2012.

For a detailed description and more images please view:

https://www.icd.uni-stuttgart.de/projects/hygroscope-meteorosensitive-morphology/

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PROJECT TEAM

Achim Menges Architect, Frankfurt
Prof. Achim Menges, Steffen Reichert, Boyan Mihaylov
(Project Development, Design Development)

Institute for Computational Design, University of Stuttgart
Prof. Achim Menges, Steffen Reichert, Nicola Burggraf, Tobias Schwinn with Claudio Calandri, Nicola Haberbosch, Oliver Krieg, Marielle Neuser, Viktoriya Nikolova, Paul Schmidt
(Design Development, Scientific Development, Robotic Fabrication, Assembly)

Transsolar Climate Engineering, Stuttgart
Thomas Auer, Daniel Pianka
(Climate Engineering)

PROJECT SUPPORT

Centre Pompidou Paris
Rubner Holding AG
Glasbau Hahn GmbH
Competence Network Biomimetics
Steelcase Werndl AG

FAZ PAVILION

The design of the FAZ Pavilion is based on biomimetic research that investigates autonomous, passively actuated surface structures responsive to changes in ambient humidity based on the biological principles of conifer cones. The design integration of material characteristics and fabrication parameters to achieve both, a variable composite component and differentiated system morphology, enables a direct response to environmental influences with no need for any additional electronic or mechanical control.

Situated on the northern embankment of the river Main in the city centre of Frankfurt, the summer pavilion provides an interior extension of this popular public space. Based on a relatively simple material element that is at the same time responsive structure, embedded sensor, no-energy motor and regulating element, the entire envelope of the pavilion responds to weather changes. On sunny days with relatively low ambient humidity the surface is fully opened. Once the weather changes to rain the related increase in relative ambient humidity triggers a rapid, autonomous response and the structure closes and forms a weatherproof skin. Beyond fulfilling merely the functional performance of a convertible roof, the autonomous, passive actuation of the responsive leaves provide a unique combined environmental and spatial experience.

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PROJECT TEAM

Scheffler + Partner and Steffen Reichert
Project Coordination: Achim Menges
Project Team: Eva Menges, Steffen Reichert
System Development: Steffen Reichert, Achim Menges

GERMAN PAVILION
Prague Quadrennial of Scenography and Theatre Architecture 2007
Permanent Collection of the Centre Pompidou Paris

Every four years the Quadrennial International Exhibition of Scenography and Theatre Architecture is one of the most important theatre festivals in the world. More than 50 nations showcase contemporary approaches to the design of spatial and scenic elements, light and aural aspects that make up the theatrical event. This design study for a Pavilion, commissioned by the German curator, envisioned the pavilion as a performance environment of deliberately ambiguous relations between space, time and the convergence of protagonist and playgoer. This ambition of blurring the role of actor and audience manifested itself in the curator’s concept of not showing any exhibits except the pavilion structure itself and the multitude of effects generated by it.

The project commenced from the definition of a material system based on ruled surfaces, whereby the surfaces were reduced to the materialisation of the rulings as elastic strings that can be employed to modulate levels of transparency, exposure and enclosure as well as manipulating visual and physical connectivity. The emergent moiré effects can be instrumentalized to expose or veil visitors navigating through the structure, as the presence of a person between overlapping layers limits the effect locally and creates a flickering silhouette. Through iterative digital and physical tests the relation between the intensification and filtering of circulatory and visual conditions and various geometric parameters was explored; for instance the density and orientation of rulings dependent on the definition of base curves and the increment of material ruling interpretations. Beyond the parameters influencing conditions that effect the complex relation between space, body, movement and the emergent visual as well as luminous environment, the structural capacity is an integral aspect of the system as well. Due to the necessity of creating a self-supporting system, that does not rely on the listed exhibition hall except for resting on the ground, the articulation of the base curve follows structural criteria in such a way that the considerable accumulation of forces of all individual strings leads to an equilibrium state within the overall system.

The subsequent design evolution of various system types and related variations lead to a labyrinthine space of layering the experience of collective inhabitation and individual positioning from the external macro-environment of the exhibition hall towards the meso-scale of the pavilion and the micro-scale of its particular sub-locations and local effects. Different intensities of transparency, reflection and density intensified by topographical undulations and animated light sources provide a space of manifold micro-conditions. Each individual visitor’s response to these conditions and the resultant positioning and navigation through the space becomes part of a transient inhabitation that is at once active and passive constituent of the performance environment.

Since its acquisition in 2011 the project model forms part of the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou Paris.

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PROJECT TEAM

OCEAN NORTH and Scheffler+Partner
Project Coordination: Achim Menges
Project Team: Eva Scheffler, Steffen Reichert, Jochen Schütz

MORPHOGENETIC DESIGN EXPERIMENT
Permanent Collection, Centre Pompidou Paris

This Morphogenetic Design Experiment investigates the potential combination of digitally evolved geometry and computer-aided manufacturing, with the aim of achieving a coherency between manufacturing logic, material constraints and increasingly complex geometries. Evolutionary computation is used to initiate a process that evolves two interlocking surfaces through geometric fitness criteria. The experiment was based on the understanding that the geometrical data of surfaces with varying curvature can be described by a system of tangential and perpendicular construction planes, which is also suitable for subsequent computer-aided laser-cutting of sheet material. A number of geometric constraints were established, including the local curvature in relation to the overall surface geometry or the density of construction planes needed according to the degree of curvature. This required a broadening of fitness criteria from a static ranking device to an evaluation tool that evolves within a feedback loop of form generation and external analysis. In the experiment many generations of two interrelated curved surfaces were bred in an environment defined by attracting and repelling forces, and the evolved surfaces were analysed in other software packages. Emergent geometric patterns informed and changed the fitness criteria accordingly. Geometric features such as the regional change in curvature and the direction of surface normals defined the position and number of construction planes, as well as the depth of the sections, across many populations. The guiding geometric relations were relatively simple, but through the nonlinear evolution intricate surface articulations were produced. Through the mutual adaptiogenesis of geometric fitness criteria and geometric articulation the morphogenetic process yielded an ever increasing complexity, which always maintained the logic of the material system ready for immediate manufacturing with the laser-cutter. The result of this experiment shows a level of complexity and coherence that is very difficult to achieve in conventional design approaches.

Since its acquisition in 2011 the models of the project form part of the permanent collection of the Centre Pompidou Paris.