Conceptual Joining - Wood Structures from Detail to Utopia

In the course of industrialization timber construction changed considerably. The traditional crafted joints were widely replaced by metal connectors. The anisotropic structure of wood was considered a disadvantage and therefore various homogenized timber products were developed, largely eliminating characteristic qualities of wood. We regard it as the better strategy to make use of the materials natural properties thus capitalizing on nature instead of struggling against it. Besides ecological advantages, wood has a significant artistic potential. Its sensual qualities and structural individuality make each piece unique. It is a dynamic, almost interactive material that transforms reacting to climatic conditions and in return affects the environment. Its liveliness through an inherent logic creates a tension between designer, material and user. Various traditional timber constructions such as Japanese joinery took advantage of woods natural structure and behavior but today the time consuming and therefore expensive production makes them uneconomical. CAD/CAM and especially parametric modeling now offer a powerful way of re-interpreting traditional woodworking and open up new horizons for furniture and timber architecture. Instead of developing a rather abstract design first (as often practiced) and then searching for the appropriate material for its realization we will take the specific properties of wood as a starting point. We expect this material- oriented design method to produce structural logic, topical cultural expression and a specific aesthetic in the use of wood. By combining the qualities of traditional craftsmanship with the potential of cutting-edge computational techniques a variety of structural configurations and wood joining methods will be developed and tested. Apart from theoretical research our work will be based primarily on practical experimentation. We will build upon older achievements in woodworking such as lightweight curvature of bent wood (Thonet), structural curved surfaces in bent plywood (Eames) and new material based approaches in avant-garde design (IBOIS laboratory of EPFL Lausanne, ETH Zurich and ICD/ITKE Stuttgart) where wood properties are used to inform parametric models for the design of experimental pavilions. Investigations will include the analysis of material properties on various levels and scales as well as mechanical and chemical joints within frameworks of structural members. Informed by an in depth understanding of material behavior and correlating joining principles we develop design systems, geometries and structures. These could be translucent, textured, bendable, moving, adapting, transforming etc. constructs. From small objects we will proceed to larger-scale structures and usable architectural spaces. The process will become visible through an interactive physical blog. By posting experimental results in exhibitions we expose them to the public on a regular basis. At key moments the research work will accumulate in full-scale installations (pavilions) at different locations in Europe and the US.

From an inherently material based method of architectural design, the aim of the project was to derive enhanced modes of contemporary articulation of wooden structures that incorporate many responses to critical topics of our time. A focus lay in the investigation of specific forms that can arise from working with revived traditional joining techniques, infused with an understanding of the material in the context of a digital production chain. With this material-oriented approach, structures are not designed for a specific use, but open up diverse interpretations and possibilities of inhabitation due to their specific spatial and geometric properties. The team followed this directive in an open-ended process along two main routes of investigation in parallel projects: Interlocking Spaces and Branch Formations. Interlocking spaces focused on reviving traditional knowledge of joinery and transferring it into contemporary discourse with the use of state of the art digital tools and processing techniques. The team developed a precise push-fit space frame system of wooden beams, that performed as an interlocking and non-hierarchical system that self stabilizes without the need for any metal fasteners. The development of tools and methods resulted in various experimental realizations and digital studies of structures that negotiated differentiation and regularity, specificity and generalization. Additionally, the detachable joints facilitated the development of an adaptive modular system, offering a broad spectrum of speculative applications in artistic and architectural contexts. Branch Formations was an investigation into different approaches to activating and utilizing the potential of the naturally optimized form of forked tree branches as ready-made structural nodes. 3D scanned wood elements were compiled to extensive digital catalogs and aggregated in complex digital models. Several tools and methods were developed that allowed working with large sets of similar, yet unique and complex irregular parts in a controlled and flexible way. The outcomes show a variety of possibilities for a new kind of design approach that is based on a predefined inventory of complex parts, exploring the tension between irregularity and regularity, coincidence and control, the natural and the artificial. The resulting formations are deeply informed by (the) material logic (of wood) overlaid with a principle of order. A distinct spatial form emerges that could serve as a structural framework to facilitate a novel architectural typology. The findings and developed workflow could have significant implications on research and construction practice in the context of building component reuse. In both projects the development of handicraft as a complementary technique for digital fabrication, especially apparent through experiments that feature Augmented Reality applications, opened possibilities for a low-threshold culture of accessible and democratic making, that includes both cutting edge technology and intuitive low tech methods.