1. Continuing the ‘Continua’ II
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MARCIN WÓJCIK
The Oslo School of Architecture and Design AHO, Oslo, Norway
marcin.wojcik@aho.no
SYLWIA KŁACZYŃSKA
West Pomeranian University of Technology ZUT, Szczecin, Poland
sklaczynska@zut.edu.pl
DCC14. Bringing artificial intelligence, cognitive science and computational theories to design research. Sixth International Conference On Design Computing And Cognition. University College London, London, UK
REFERENCES
HAUER, E. 2004. Erwin Hauer: continua : architectural screens and walls, New York, Princeton Architectural Press.
KŁACZYŃSKA, S. ‘Transition Zone’ jako opozycja dla ściany. In: WAGNER, T., ed. Modernity in Architecture. Integration - Identification - Innovation,
2013. Gliwice: Wydział Architektury Politechniki Śląskiej w Gliwicach, 107-122.
LAKES, R. 1993. Materials with structural hierarchy. Nature, 361, 511-515.
VINCENT, J. F. V., BOGATYREVA, O. A., BOGATYREV, N. R., BOWYER, A. & PAHL, A.-K. 2006. Biomimetics: its practice and theory. Journal of The
Royal Society Interface, 3, 471-482.
THE CONTINUA SERIES
Erwin Hauer (b.1926) is an Austrian-American sculptor, known for repetitive screen-wall systems based
on modular elements cast in concrete, gypsum or acrylic resin, later CNC-milled in MDF and limestone
(Hauer, 2004). These methods are time and energy consuming and produce waste. Our previous research
(Kłaczyńska, 2013) indicates that Design 3 (1952) from the Continua series would be applicable for
external light-breaking building envelopes, that -- besides diffusing light -- protect from wind, attenuate
sound and provide privacy.
We set out to develop the Continua series into a new system that minimises wastage and performs in
a controlled way. The new system uses thin (ca. 5 mm) plywood as structural material, what is made
possible by the contemporary digital tools and by following the biological paradigm. Thin plywood is
bent to form and thus achieving strength locally, while global stiffness is achieved by the application
of overall geometry. By doing so, much less material and time are used to produce a final piece. This
solution required reconfiguration of the modules, but the geometrical features of the original are
sustained.
THE BIOMIMETIC APPROACH
The re-design of the ‘Continua’ series takes inspiration from the biomimetic approach. Biological
systems utilise information, stored in the genetic code, rather than energy, in order to solve technical
problems. Energy is used sparingly, single material often serves both structural and protective purposes,
the distinction between material and structure is blurred (Vincent et al., 2006). According to Vincent,
in biology, conversely to engineering, form is cheap and materials are expensive. Biological solutions
are hierarchical, and such organisation yields at least ten-fold savings in material. In mass-production
the costs of manufacturing exceed the saving in material thus hierarchical organisation is less common
(Lakes, 1993). That may change as the CNC machines enable variation without extra production time,
a feature used in our project, where a CNC laser cutter allows for adapting the geometry in response to
the structural and environmental factors. Similarly to the Eiffel Tower, our proposal contains three orders
of structural elements that themselves have structure: (1) material bending behaviour is dependent on
the number and stacking sequence of laminas, (2) local strength is achieved by bending and (3) global
stiffness is achieved by the overall geometry.
The structure doubles as a protective skin. The sizes of the openings -- neccesary to achieve double-
curvature -- are variable within the modular framework. By doing so, it is possible to control the amount
of light and wind entering through the screen.
APPLICATION OF THIN PLYWOOD IN CONSTRUCTION THROUGH BIOLOGICALLY INSPIRED APPROACH
(1) (2)
(3)
photo: Saaraa Premji
photo: Erwin Hauer