System Development: Spidron

First developed in 1979 by Dániel Erdély the Spidron is created by recursively dividing a 2-dimensional hexagon into triangles, forming a pattern that consists of one equilateral followed by one isosceles triangle. The resulting form is of six Spidron legs that, when folded along their edges, deform to create a 3-dimensional Spidron.

Spidron Nest

Spidron System_Parametrics_Lorna Jackson

Initial investigations into the Spidron system using paper resulted in irregular shapes that could not be predicted, and therefore replicated precisely. Progressing onto using rigid materials allowed the system to be broken down into six components, removing unnecessary triangulated fold lines, and developing latch folded Spidron that is precisely the same as that formed parametrically.

Spidron System_Three SPidrons_Lorna Jackson

This relationship between parametric and physical tests of component based Spidrons in both regular and irregular hexagons, as well as various other equal-sided shapes, has enabled the development of large scale models concluding thus far in a 1:2 scale version being built which will continue to be developed as a pavilion for submission to the Burning Man festival.

In parallel there has been an investigation into the system at a smaller scale allowing for the Spidron nest to be made as one component. In order to achieve the 3-dimensional Spidron form lattice hinges, also known as kerf folds, have been employed. Rigorous testing into the best cutting pattern have resulted in a straight line cutting pattern that allows for bending on multiple axis at once.

Developing this smaller scale system for submission to Buro Happold the intention is to create an arrayed system that is a conglomeration of both regular and irregular spidrons with varying depths and apertures that are able to integrate various display models etc. within.

Kino London: Monthly Open Mic Film Event

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Kino London is a monthly open-mic style film night set down a dark back ally in Angel, London. It provides an opportunity for budding independent film makers around the city to personally introduce their film and to screen their creations to an audience of other film industry specialists as well as other film makers providing an opportunity for collaboration and networking. Filmmakers register in advance to screen their short at the next event, sight unseen. There are no themes, no pre-selection and no restrictions, other than that films be under 6 minuteson DVD, and include the Kino London logo at the end, just for our screening.

There are also challenges’ awarded through the form of a film that the audience decide the filmmaker must make and screen at Kino London. This gives an opportunity to willing participants to collaborate, sharing ideas and knowledge with the end result screened at the next event.

The next event will be held at Electrowerkz in Angel on the 4th March from 7:30pm.

28th November 2013 Cross-Crit 2

Very enjoyable crit day for DS10 at Westminster University. It was our second cross-crit of the year and students showed their proposal for Brief2A, building an interactive structure for Burning Man or the festival of their choice.

Thank you very much to our helpful crits Harri Lewis (Ramboll RCD our engineers for last year’s Shipwreck and Fractal Cult), Marie-Isabel de Monseignat (Tutor at DRS1 Chelsea College of Art), Dusan Decermic, Anthony Boulanger and Katherine Herron. Here are couple pictures:

Marie de Monseignat is holding the Plywood Spiralohedrons
Marie de Monseignat is holding the Plywood Spiralohedrons
Jessica Beagleman's Plywood Spiralohedrons
Jessica Beagleman’s Plywood Spiralohedrons
Sarah Shuttleworth's large metal origami model.
Sarah Shuttleworth’s large metal origami model.
Paul Thorpe's Twisting Plywood pods 1:1 Model
Paul Thorpe’s Twisting Plywood pods 1:1 Model
Ieva Ciocyte's Burning Euclid Wall
Ieva Ciocyte’s Burning Euclid Wall
Joe Leach's Burning Seed Reciprocal Structure
Joe Leach’s Burning Seed Reciprocal Structure
Sarah Stell's wind powered animals
Sarah Stell’s wind powered animals
Josh Haywood's beautiful Digital Muqarnas
Josh Haywood’s beautiful Digital Muqarnas
Henry Turner's intersecting plywood wave structure.
Henry Turner’s intersecting plywood wave structure.
Will Garforth-Bless' bamboo and fabric hypars
Will Garforth-Bless’ bamboo and fabric hypars
Lorna Jackson's Spacer Fabric Cloud
Lorna Jackson’s Spacer Fabric Cloud
Charlotte Yates' Origami Roofs
Charlotte Yates’ Origami Roofs
Naomi Danos' Folding roofs.
Naomi Danos’ Folding roofs.
Mark Simpson's mirror diamonds in the desert.
Mark Simpson’s mirror diamonds in the desert.

OPEN2013 Westminster End of Year Show

6137_Open2013_final_04-13

Our end of year exhibition opens tomorrow night, 6pm-9pm and will be opened by Vicky Richardson, Director of Architecture, Design and Fashion at the British Council.

You are all welcome to join! You will see our students’ best work.

Department of Architecture
University of Westminster
OPEN2013

PREVIEW:
Thursday 13th June, 6-9pm

University of Westminster
35 Marylebone Road
London
NW1 5LS

Tube: Baker Street

 

FINAL PORTFOLIO REVIEW

The academic year is almost over, the graduation show and prize ceremony is in two weeks. Toby and I just assessed everyone’s portfolios with the help of other tutors from Westminster. This is a very stimulating day in which all the studios’ year-long student work is seen and its diversity revealed. Students could not be part of the process and witness the efforts and beauty of the some of the work so here it is, a little selection of some of our most creative portfolios this year:

Georgua Rose Colard-Watson - Temple for Love - Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson – Temple for Love – Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson - Temple for Love - Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson – Temple for Love – Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson - Temple for Love - Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Georgua Rose Colard-Watson – Temple for Love – Winner of the Burnin gMan Festival Grant
Luka Kreze's Temple for the revolution in Tahrir Square
Luka Kreze’s Temple for the revolution in Tahrir Square
Luka Kreze's Temple for the revolution in Tahrir Square
Luka Kreze’s Temple for the revolution in Tahrir Square
Dhiren Patel's Temple to Chakras on the Mount Meru
Dhiren Patel’s Temple to Chakras on the Mount Meru
Dhiren Patel's Temple to Chakras on the Mount Meru
Dhiren Patel’s Temple to Chakras on the Mount Meru
Jacob Alsop's Temple to Bees and Wax Experiments
Jacob Alsop’s Temple to Bees and Wax Experiments
Michael Clarke - Temple to Making and WikiVault
Michael Clarke – Temple to Making and WikiVault
Michael Clarke - Temple to Making and WikiVault
Michael Clarke – Temple to Making and WikiVault
Josh Haywood - Monastic and Prison Cells
Josh Haywood – Monastic and Prison Cells
Mihail Andrei-Jipa - A Temple to Infinity - Inhabitable Fractals
Mihail Andrei-Jipa – A Temple to Infinity – Inhabitable Fractals
William Garforth-Bless - Temple to Water ion the Thames
William Garforth-Bless – Temple to Water ion the Thames
Marilu Valente - Bio-Polymer's Temple
Marilu Valente – Bio-Polymer’s Temple
Philip Hurrel's Temple to the Transition Movement in Totness
Philip Hurrel’s Temple to the Transition Movement in Totness
Dan Dodds Temple to Illusion
Dan Dodds Temple to Illusion
Christopher Ingram - Village to Electro-Sensitivity
Christopher Ingram – Village to Electro-Sensitivity
Thanasis Korras - Memento Mori Temple - Winner of the Burning Man Festival Grant - Recursive Koch Structures
Thanasis Korras – Memento Mori Temple – Winner of the Burning Man Festival Grant – Recursive Koch Structures
Tim Clare - Temple to Knowledge
Tim Clare – Temple to Knowledge

Arduino Workshop at the Google Campus

This is an Arduino workshop that we are organising at the Google Campus, London, in November 2012 with Simply Rhino. It is a is a five days long initiation to the concept of adaptive structure. After two days of advanced Grasshopper, Processing and Arduino training, we will provide simple physical modeling components as well as actuators and sensors to create responsive structures reacting to movement, light and forces.

Tutors: Gennaro Senatore, Daniel Piker, Ollie Palmer and Arthur Mamou-Mani.

You can register on my website or on by calling Simply Rhino.

Environmental Exchange

Pressing needs for infrastructural modernisation – particularly renewable forms – set against banks’ reduced lending capacity, has created disharmony between the intent and delivery of these projects. The building program creates a ‘marketplace’, marrying 3 principle parties: investors, project mandators, and intermediaries, thereby creating a discursive and transactional environment towards alternative investment models, fostering an emerging market of privately-funded infrastructure, and the delivery of these highly complex projects. Set on the long-disused Bishopsgate Goodsyard on fringes of The City, it is symbolically removed but decidedly still attached to existing infrastructures of the sprawling financial markets. The timber monocoque proposes a new high-rise corporate architecture typology both materially and structurally, particularly in light of the City’s impending expansion.