Digital fabrication - laser cutter
Graduate work
Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalunya
MARCH 2011 - 2012

Group work
:::Gokulraj Kailash
:::Hunia Tomoum
:::Ya-Ping Chen

Using cardboard, bending technique

Material

We were assigned the bending technique using Paper/Cardboard. In our preliminary 3d model manual sketching we used 80g/sqm A4 sized papers. We wanted to design a lamp that is composed of several small units that interlocks and curves in more than one direction. We finally arrived to 0.6mm thick cardboard as it is not too thick in order to easily bend it in small scaled units and neither is it too thin in order to retain its curvature after bending.

Geometry

Initially, we were trying to apply the concept of the geodesic dome, but using random units by which all the small units work together to form the whole. The challenge was how to create a random pattern of units of the same family or language (originating from a grid) so that together the units composes a lamp that it is viewed differently from different angles and dropping different shadowing effects. Through our research, we found an interlocking connection, that we then developed to assemble our units together. This connection end was then copied and mirrored and rotated along the 360 degrees one every 45 degrees, in order for us to have a polar grid of 8 connection ends. From this grid we linked the connection ends by curvilinear lines, creating different formations of two, three, four and five sided versions of the same language.

Details

After a bit more thorough research we found that for the units to lock, it is not enough that they fit together, it required a circle cut of a small diameter at the very end of the interlocking line, so that both circular ends of pieces rest inside one another and stays locked.