Project info

Studio II. (11+12th semester)

Consultant: akad. Mgr. art. Vít Halada, ArtD. & Ing. arch. Benjamín Brádňanský

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Description

The practical part of the master thesis “Parametric structuralism” focuses on testing the ideas from the theoretical part of the master thesis in a physical world. The proposed thesis and a new approach to the digital architecture which is based on hybridization of the parametric and the discrete thinking is further developed and researched. I am looking for a way to combine individual discrete parts with a parametric mass customization. The area of research is narrowed down by a selection of the material – fibreglass rod, which represents a dynamic element. With physical tests and models I am verifying the possibilities of achieving universal variability, which comes from the material itself and not from various types of joints and their respective connections. The goal is to lay down a foundation for a system of modules and their aggregation capabilities, which could produce multiple and universal solutions with a limited number of serialized elements. I am trying to merge an open system with an option of individual exceptions and adaptability. The primary concern of the project lies in the research aspect. The project is mainly about a research of material and defining its possibilities and limits. It consists also of designing and optimizing of 3D printed joints, which play a role in arranging the fibreglass rods in space. Gathered information and characteristics of the material results in the design of a structure and its structural principles. Form, as the last step of the design process is not the main concern and within the master thesis project I am merely outlining possible formal and functional implications from the acquired knowledge. The data from research and the process of fabrication and assembly is documented in photos and diagrams. The project is presented in a form of physical models and those are complemented with a booklet with a detailed information and an overview of the whole project. In the practical part of the master thesis I proposed a new possible approach to the digital architecture. Based on the physical and digital tests I can conclude, that the use of a flexible material to achieve variation within the discrete modules allows for a creation of adaptive modules constructed from serialized elements. Because of this, the modules can be economically feasible but at the same time their serialized manufacture does not mean that the structures and aggregations they can produce are limited to a small set of options. The project shows that the fusion of a discrete world of architecture with a continuous and customizable one is achievable.