An Experimental Approach to Use Foldable Fabric-Formwork in Digital Craftsmanship

Year 2024, Volume: 5 Issue: 2, 183 - 210, 30.09.2024

Zehra Güloğlu , Ayşegül Akçay Kavakoğlu , Leman Figen Gül

https://doi.org/10.53710/jcode.1512878

Abstract

Concrete is one of the most commonly utilized materials in the field of architecture. Nevertheless, there has been insufficient research into the natural fluidity properties of concrete. Concrete is typically poured into static molds, which constrains its potential applications. Nevertheless, the combination of fabric and concrete offers new possibilities in the field of architecture. The incorporation of flexible fabric materials into architectural designs enhances the aesthetic appeal of spaces by complementing the organic forms and textures of buildings. Meanwhile the incorporation of concrete into the structural frameworks provides strength and durability. Furthermore, the fabrigami technique, which draws inspiration from origami, enables the creation of dynamic mold when applied to fabric. The deployment of the mold results in unpredictable formation of a wide variety of shapes when concrete is poured into it. the objective of this paper is to examine the variety of forms that emerge from the interaction between deployable fabric molds and concrete. The methodology of this study comprises three stages, which are: i) the selection of the crease pattern for the unit, ii) the design of the deployable formwork system based on the selected unit pattern, and iii) the casting of concrete into fabric molds. These stages involve a feedback loop between the computational and analog modelling approaches. To investigate the potential of different form alternatives, a series of physical experiments were conducted. The experiments conducted revealed that the resulting forms were significantly influenced by the material mixture, the type and properties of the fabric, and the mold structure. Consequently, to ascertain the veracity of the physical products generated, simulations were initially conducted in a computational design environment following the pouring concrete. Thereafter the physical products were 3D scanned with a comparison subsequently made. The findings indicate that the utilization of dynamic molds holds significant potential for future applications in various fields including engineering, architecture, and art.

Keywords

Concrete, Fabric Formwork, Fabrigami, Folding

Supporting Institution

Istanbul Technical University

Thanks

This study was carried out within the scope of the Digital Architectural Design and Modeling course in the 2023-2024 fall semester of the Architectural Design Computing Master's program at Istanbul Technical University. I would like to thank Prof. Dr. Leman Figen Gül, Assis. Prof. Dr. Ayşegül Akçay Kavakoğlu, Res. Asst. Fatih Uzun and Res. Asst. İnanç Şencan for their valuable contributions.

Dijital Zanaatkarlıkta Katlanabilir Kumaş Kalıp Kullanımına Yönelik Deneysel Bir Yaklaşım

Abstract

Beton, mimarlık alanında en yaygın kullanılan malzemelerden biridir. Ancak betonun doğal akışkanlık özellikleri üzerine yeterli çalışma yapılmamıştır. Genel olarak beton, statik kalıplara dökülerek kullanılır ve bu da malzemenin sınırlı bir şekilde değerlendirilmesine neden olur. Bununla birlikte, kumaş ve betonun birlikteliği mimaride yeni olanaklar sunmaktadır. Esnek kumaş malzemeler, binaların organik form ve dokularını destekleyerek mekanın estetiğini zenginleştirirken, beton ise mukavemet sağlayarak yapıya dayanıklılık katmaktadır. Ayrıca, origami prensiplerinden ilham alan fabrigami tekniği, kumaş üzerinde uygulandığında dinamik bir kalıp oluşturmaktadır. Bu konuşlandırılabilir kalıba beton döküldüğünde, ortaya çıkan form tahmin edilemez ve çok çeşitli şekiller oluşturur. Bu nedenle, bu çalışmada konuşlandırılabilir kumaş kalıp ve betonun işbirliği sonucu ortaya çıkan form çeşitliliğinin keşfedilmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Bu çalışma üç aşamadan oluşur: i) birim deseninin seçilmesi, ii) seçilen birim desen vasıtasıyla konuşlandırılabilir kalıp sistemi tasarımı, iii) betonun kumaş kalıplara dökülmesi. Farklı form alternatiflerini görebilmek için çeşitli fiziksel deneyler yapılmıştır. Bu deneylerin ışığı altında, ortaya çıkan formlar üzerinde malzeme karışımı, kumaş cinsi ve özelliği, ve kalıp strüktürünün etkili olduğu görülmüştür. Sonuç olarak, elde edilen fiziksel ürünlerin dijital ortamla doğruluğunu test etmek için ilk önce hesaplamalı tasarım ortamında beton döküldükten sonraki simülasyonu yapılmıştır. Daha sonra 3B sayısal tarama yöntemleri kullanılarak fiziksel ürünler taratılmış ve bir karşılaştırma yapılmıştır. Elde edilen bulgular, gelecekte dinamik kalıpların kullanımının mühendislik, mimarlık ve sanat gibi birçok alanda kullanılabilecek yeni potansiyeller taşıdığını göstermektedir.

Keywords

Beton, Fabrigami, Katlama, Kumaş Kalıp

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