Interlace

“Surface quality of material, that is matière, being mainly a quality of appearance, is an aesthetic quality and therefore a medium of the artist; while quality of inner structure is, above all, a matter of function and therefore the concern of the scientist and engineer. Sometimes material surface together with material structure are the main components of a work; in textile works for instance, specifically in weavings or, on another scale, in works of architecture”
Anni Albers, American textile artist

WHAT?

From Weaving to Tensegrity | In between Interlace

Site-less | Test Case
The focus of this thesis would be acontextual, while the test case would be indoor swimming pool require light weight structure and provide a real experience towards architecture by its minimal quality. Its floating quality in perspective would be interesting to investigate as well. Specific site would be set after the research stage and able to challenge the structural typology. Bamboo and plastic woven fabric are chosen as the initial study material due to their structural properties with durable and affordable quality.
Typology | Prototype
The proposed typology, interlaced architecture, applies weaving methodology to structural level and lets the tectonic reveal an aesthetic quality. Although woven fabric is commonly used in tensile/ membrane structure, it works as the secondary structural element, primary ones are not interlaced with the surface. Considering that the structural strength of fabric is made possible by its tensile force as a pre-stressed system. By replacing the cable to fabric, it turns the surface created by the fabric into structural elements while at the same time obtaining spatial quality.

WHY?

Peel off the Surface | Weaving in Architecture Scale

Discipline in Industry

“The best engineer a few decades ago was someone who could create the most beautiful beam or structure; today it’s to do a structure you cannot see or understand how it’s done. It disappears and you can talk only about color, symbols, and light. It’s an aesthetic of mira¬cle.” Jean Nouvel

An irony? Structure is hidden and in result people can only perceive the architecture through thin finishing or the texture of surface material. This is an age that design is playing with pattern and composition of different finishing materials and claddings, while structural elements are covered and considered as limitation or even restriction.

Discipline in Research & Academia
Weaving is a process of interlacing sets of interconnected elements to produce panel of woven fabric. Those sets can be in perpendicular direction or at an angle, and can be combined of two, or more sets. Number of variations in combination gives room for creativity of artists and thus the quality of aesthetic to the flat surface.
Structure in architecture can be considered as weaving at an architectural scale. Columns and beams join and stand the building, while the aesthetic in structural is given by the way they are woven together. That is the detail which is able to characterize and define the whole building.

Yarns – Fabric [Lines – Planes]
Columns & Beams – Structural Frame – Rooms [Lines – Form – Space]

Thesis in Discipline
The Surface is no more another layer of finishing which covers the structure, but interlacing together as one component to re-celebrate the fundamental of architecture. Experiencing purely the architecture itself.

HOW?

Stage01 (Feb. 1, 3, 4/ First Thesis Review): The thesis will begin with the study of tensegrity structure incorporating the fabric.Through intensive modeling and structural studies, I will investigate its pros and cons and finally develop the module of the system at the end of first stage.

Stage02 (Mar. 14, 17/ Second Thesis Review): After studying the detail scale of the system, the next step would be choosing the specific site and form finding process. This stage would be carried out in the more architectural scale, aiming to explore other aspects of architecture. Scaled structural models would be tested with its loading and spanning performanace, referencing the methodology of Ulrich Kirchhoff’s MArch Studio – Load Transfer

Stage03 (May 3, 4/ Third Thesis Review): Revision of the module study (Stage01) may be needed depending on the findings on the structural test (Stage02) and form finding experiement (Stage02). The study would go more into detail on the model’s behaviour a well as into limitations of the whole structural system.

Stage04 (June 6, 7, 8/ Final Internal/ External Examinations): Propose an acontextual typology that optimizes the experience of architecture through weaving methodology.

Bibliography
Theory
Charleson, Andrew W.. Structure as Architecture: A Source Book for Architects and Structural. Oxford: Elsevier, 2005.
Sandaker, Bjorn Normann. On the Span and Space: Exploring Structures in Architecture. New York: Routledge, 2008
Technique
Binbing, Wang. Free-standing tension structures: from tensegrity systems to cable-strut systems. London: Spon Press, 2004.
Jing Yao, Zhang. Tensegrity structures : form, stability, and symmetry. Tokyo: Springer, 2015.
Motro, René. Tensegrity: structural systems for the future. London: Kogan Page Science, 2003.
Pawley, Martin. Buckminster Fuller. London: Trefoil Publications, 1990.
Current Related Projects
Behnaz Farahi. Alloplastic Architecture, 2013.
Esha Hashim. FUN-tegrity, 2015.
Esha Hashim. Tensegrity, 2014.
Luka Kreze Architecture. The Bridge of Memory, 2013.