#virtual_composites

[extendedframes]

Virtual Composites revisited

Creases vol 2: from material to digital

The original material experiment is an example of an inexact object achieved with exact production methods (casting of liquid PLA into water). How does a digital interpretation look like?

Simulated experiment and the multiplications and combinations into inexact architectural object: a column.

Extra detail addition and digital manipulations influence the behavior of the object in the simulations.

New object with new qualities appear. The extra details influence frictions in the simulations and differ the manipulated objects from the original material experiments.

[extendedframes]

Virtual Composites revisited

Multiplication and Hyperdetail: what can we learn from virology - lessons from lockdowns.

The original Virtual Composites project was a digital design task. What are the topics that digital design brings, what are the advantages and what are the challenges? How to materialize digital concepts and what is the relation between digital design and materiality?

One of the main advantages of digital design is the details control. In digital design, there are at least two different attitudes of controlling the level of detail: divisions and multiplications.

Combined together, objects with new, distinctive qualities emerge. While the multiplications are a spatial exploration that develops from one part to the whole, the divisions are the opposite. 

[extendedframes]

The End is a new Beginning

The initial experiment from March 2019. Revisiting the concept of a grid controlling a material (or a material controlling a grid) show another potential of the CoEx system. The Experiment reveals the ambivalent relationship of tha parts where none of the composite elements dominates the component. It is the first real Virtual Composite translated into physical world.

[extendedframes]

Publications in 2018:

Material Moods in the book Academical Platforms for Computational Design

Material Moods in the presentation sheet for the Acoustic Caves Exhibition

Material Moods at the conference Design Computing 2018

Material Moods in the magazine Architektura & Urbanizmus

[extendedframes]

Virtual Composites exhibited!

The output of the research project was presented at the Academic Platform exhibition in Prague

Other projects are part of academic researches in Barcelona, Copenhagen,  Prague, Stuttgart, Vienna and Zürich.

Photos  © Peter Fabo

[extendedframes]

Granular Vibrations

A video describing the process of vibrating the grains.

[extendedframes]

Foam Mixtures & Granular Structures

„The basis for the design concept lies in fundemantal experiences in learning to control first the material, than the digital fabrication process and finally gaining explicit control over the manufacturing of architecture.“

- Matthias Kohler and Hanif Kara

„In nature there is no separation between modelling, analysis and fabrication, and there is constant feedback between them.“

- Neri Oxman and Sean Hanna

GROUP A – GRANULAR STRUCTURES

Granular materials exist naturally in nature or are artificially produced by men. In both cases, granular materials have been studied intensively due to their specific physical attributes (force chains, patterns, particularity,...). As often, architecture revealed its qualities later than the rest of the world, but has recently started to investigate them. Granular materials have due to their chaotic behaviour potential to create surprising forms and patterns and they also work well in composites.

Work with granular material of your choice. Investigate it, test it, glue it, melt it, mix it, shatter it, heat it or just print it. Try to find structural qualities.

GROUP B – FOAM MIXTURES

Foam materials have partly similar attributes to granular materials. There are also force chains, pattern formations and they also work well in composites. They share, however, some special attributes with fluids – viscosity, elasticity or emergent structures, that strongly influence its behaviour.  As often, architecture revealed its qualities later than the rest of the world, but has recently started to investigate them.

Work with foam material of your choice. Test it to find the elements that can influence its behaviour. Investigate it, test it, glue it, melt it, mix it, shatter it, heat it, squeeze it, mesh it.

-

As we spoke on Friday, first do a research. Look at several materials, analyze them, compare them and think of processes or techniques we could work with. Keep in mind the accesibility of the materials (no graphin or supersteel) – we have to be able to aquire the materials and to work with them. My suggestions are salt and polyurethan foam due to its accesibility.

.

[extendedframes]

The final objects

by Veronika Miskovicova & Minh Tanh Mai