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28FEB 2014

Hypermembrane, Modular complexity / HYBRIDA, Sylvia Felipe, Jordi Truco

Posted in Events_Interviews - Events_Interviews by * FORMAKERS

CONCEPT HYPERMEMBRANE project focuses its interest on observing how biological organisms achieve complex emergent structures from simple components.

The structures and forms generated by natural systems are analysed and understood as hierarchical organisations of very simple components (from the smallest to the largest), in which the properties arising in an emergent manner are rather more than the sum of the parts. In the field of architecture, even more rightly, we are forced to regain this sensitivity in observation and research, and learn the lesson of biological systems on the act of formalising and metabolising.

Our objective is to learn and explore this knowledge to then transfer it and apply it to the design process of architecture and spaces. In this research process, we work by experimenting and learning from the material, applying the various techniques of form finding.

This new approach to the creation of form through knowledge of material, and of its “intelligent” behaviour, complemented by the use of parametric software and advanced modelling, will enable us to produce designs that are not only totally innovative in material, form and behaviour, but also able to adapt to their environment. In short, we will learn that the limit between natural and artificial (or man-made) has been reconsidered from the perspective of biomimetic engineering.

HYPERMEMBRANE implies the design of a physical system (phenotype) capable of self organise in various configurations. However, also implies the design of a digital process (genotype) which allows us to formalise the multiple spatial requirements.

The physical system (phenotype) bases formal structure on elastic deformation. Consequently, the system is not mechanical, operating with universal joints.

Instead, it bases its behaviour on elastic properties and the continuity of materials, such as polymers and fibre composites (with optimal coupling of resistivity and elasticity in the latter). The programmatic spatial requirements transfer to the phenotype described by software-controlled parameters.

Consequently, the system design also includes the design of a parametric digital system (genotype) containing the limits, laws and possibilities allowed by the physical system (maximum and minimum possible radii of curvature at a local and global level…). Once these spaces have been defined and checked digitally, the solver calculates their position and conveys this to each actuator.

Dialogue between the environment and system is necessary. An operational protocol will have to be designed with programming.

The sensors will have to take information to define the reaction of the entire system to this sensorized impulse. This reaction will be local by means of each actuator, which, by changing position, will create an effect of deformation in each strip, thus instantaneously generating global modifications in space.

To a certain extent, the system is the catalyst of information from disciplines as diverse as architectural design, Industrial design, motion transfers design, mecatronichs, material engineering, computer programming and structure engineering.

The system generates form, and each form generated is different depending on the programming and environement requirements it needs to respond to. There is no dichotomy between form finding and form adaptation.

The notion of form finding does not end with the construction of the building since it continues after that. It is no longer only a case of solving how to designing the artefact, but also how to develop itself depending on the requirements arising during its life or use.

And this, somehow, expands the traditional idea of form finding to encompass a dynamic idea. We achieve adaptability or dynamism in our system via its material flexibility capacities and the actuators.

As we have stated above, computational systems play a fundamental role in design by means of a “written code” in the dialogue between the “sensorization/actuation” system and the environment to achieve this self-regulation or response. but with an approach based on energy efficiency, HYPERMEMBRANE would like to take as our horizon work with passive systems, or natural materials, which, due to changes in the conditions of the environment, harden, electrically charge, have a memory of form, and, in short, change their properties, as occurs in muscles in the human body.

These materials, which will obviously be the future of our raw construction material, are the so-called intelligent materials. Perhaps all this leads us to reflect on the problems contemporary architecture should tackle.

Should a building be a static, rigid and weatherproof object with several gadgets controlling light, sound and temperature? Or should it be an articulated system, capable of interacting, which continuously relates to its environment, and somehow receives information and reprocesses it to respond to this stimulus by self-regulating? An open, dynamic “live” system? To sum up, we can say that we are learning to view what we design as a living system, with the ability to react to an also living environment and adapt to it. Consequently, we can think about designs that feel, observe, listen, react, propose, learn and interact.

PROJECT DESCRIPTION This project started time ago –in 2002- at the architectural association. The success of the principles –already patented- of this project is that with a very simple algorithm the structure created is able to evolve, to change shape, with the capacity for multiple equilibrium configurations.

We haven’t design an artifact but a system to form multiple artifacts. It is a system able to generate complex geometries and that is able of reconfiguration with regard to different spatial requirements.

It is the combination of a physical system that is able to materially articulate; and a digital process that is the virtual code necessary to form find and evolve multiple shapes from this single physical system. Hypermembrane it is a complex structure, strong but flexible, and capable of differential movement thanks to its multiple micro-components.

Analyzing the Grid Shell we understood that it had a quite good performance to uniform loading, but that it was not able to stand local weight since it has no thickness.

Several test proved that by separating the strips we radically increase the resistance of the profile although, and this is important, the material of the strips is very elastic and is floppy in its flat position. At this point we discovered that we also had a dynamic system.

Now, our system is not working any longer that much like the Grid Shell in terms of structure. it has hybridize into a kind of dynamic space frame, but interestingly enough it still maintains the elastic properties, and the scissor like joins that makes it deployable.

One of the two main parts of the research is to develop the composite flexible light and strong material that can perform as the system requires. After some research on state of the art and building structural and fire regulations we got our target.

For the time being The material we developed at Hypermembrane is going to be able for: Open air structures, Secondary structures, Building envelopes. The other main part of the research is the development of the Hypermembrane Parametric Design Interface, specifically designed to lead its changes, to control any potential formal change within the range of the material capabilities.

The software operates taking in account constitutive equations. And the way of generating the simulations is by means of optimisation Algorithms.

The HPDI interface is hosted in GID, a software package designed only by numerical calculations. Computed Fluid Dynamics, Structural Finite Element analysis, etc.

. Some of parts of the script that we are using have been developed previously for designing some solutions for the deformation modeling of the wings of the Airbus.

Hypermembrane is to be an adaptable system to produce an immense variety of complex structural morphologies for architectonical proposals through a modular standardized driven by a software system. Hypermembrane is a paradigm of Biomimetic architecture because its muscular behaviour, the goal of the Hypermembrane is achieving formal exuberance by means of the system’s flexural compression capacity.

The system bases its capacity to generate form on the intelligent organisation of the material..

Design team:
PROMOTER
Seventh european research frameworck programm for SME’s CAPACITIES_GA 286485
Seventh european research framework program DEMO-PROJECT_GA 606242

PROJECT CONCEPT DESIGN AND DIRECTION
Sylvia Felipe, Jordi Truco, HYBRIDa
COORDINATION
Sylvia Felipe, Jordi Truco, CIMNE, EUROCONT

CONTROL ENGINEERING
ASCAMM, rtd
MECHATRONICS
ASCAMM, rtd
MATERIAL TECHNOLOGIES
ASCAMM, rtd
INDUSTRIAL DESIGN
ASCAMM, rtd
SENSORING
TAO,
COMPUTATIONAL MODELS FOR GEOMETRY SIMULATION
CIMNE, rtd
COMPUTATIONAL MODELS FOR DINAMIC FINITE ELEMENTS CALCULATION
CIMNE, rtd
MEMBRANE DESIGN
TEMME OBERMEIER
THERMOPLASTIC COMOPSITE STRIPS PULTRUSION
DCP

PHOTOGRAPHY
Montse Casas
Sue Bar

Status:
Completed

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