FUN-tegrity

Physical Manifestation of FUN-Tegrity Pavillion

“All Structures, properly understand, from solar system to the atom, are tensegrity structures. Universe is omnitensional tensegrity”, Buckminster Fuller described the tensegrity structure. With the concept of “Fun Circus: Playground in the desert” , the Fun-tegrity Pavillion is a shelter that offers fun and also leisure with the idea of fun palace in the middle of the dead desert – redefining oasis. Flexible, stable and tuneable of membrane tensegrity are advantages to create the fun and leisure based installation and give more means rather than only harps in spaces. The pavilion will capture the essence of dynamic characteristics of the tensegrity structures, by decomposing and altering the basic module of the tensegrity model. This pavilion will has three main functions, which are for shelter, leisure and as a playground . The membrane of the structure will provide shelter from the hot burning sun , and in between the poles of the compression members, hammocks can be installed to provide individual leisure space. On top of the modules combined , there’ll be a trampoline installation, as the playground, where people can jump on it .

It will act as social intervention based on circus arts performances among the strangers and nomad in in the desert, a place where they communicate , have fun and share their talent. With the selected materials , of white membranes, it will contradict with the surrounding site , gracefully prevail in the middle of the dessert .

This year’s theme is about mirrors and masks, mazes and merger. It will be a kind of magic show that takes the form of an old-fashioned carnival. This Carnival of Mirrors asks three essential questions: within our media-saturated world, where prod- ucts and people, consumption and communion morph into an endlessly diverting spectacle, who is the trickster, who is being tricked, and how might we discover who we really are?

Classic carnivals, as theaters of illusion, upheld a very strict dividing line that separated carnies, cast as showmen, from mem- bers of a naïve public who were labeled chumps and suckers, marks and rubes. Our carnival, however, will perform an even more subversive trick — its motto is Include the Rube. The wall dividing the observer from observed will disappear, as by an act of magic; through the alchemy of interaction, everyone at once can be the carny and the fool.

Social Interaction 

There had been tensegrity installation before in the history of burning man . But there is no one that people can jump on it . So why not ? People will have fun and express themselves. There will be other smaller modules for other people to be used as shelters . That is the beauty of tensegrity structures . They are flexible and tuneable. This pavilion would not be merely as shelter. In fact, they can play with it or on it ! Fragments of spaces inside of the tensegrity structures, will create some social pods where strangers can hang out and exchanging their creative thoughts . But the most important thing, it will bring people together .

this entry can be access through this student’s website as well ESHAHASHIM©

Website : ATLV/Education

[Image: A screen grab from the homepage of ATLV/Education].

ATLV/Education is a learning platform where a lot of resources for tutorials that would be a major help for beginner and intermediate Grasshopper and Rhinoceros users. ATLV is actually an acronym for Architectural Technology Laboratory Venture, a computational design firm based in Los Angeles. The firm explores the frontier of computational design technology through design practice and research in contemporary architecture and spatial design.This computational design firm is founded in 2012 by Satoru Sugihara, with a mission ‘We make what we want to make with technology. This is our responsibility to society. ‘. He is currently a faculty member at Southern California Institute of Architecture teaching scripting for computational design. He has over 5 years of experience as a computational designer at Morphosis Architects as well as over 16 years of experience in computer programming. He holds Master’s degree in Architecture from University of California Los Angeles and another Master’s degree in Computer Science from Tokyo Institute of Technology.ATLV has been focussing in challenging area of design through new technologies and design process. Innovations in technology help in solving design problems in new perspectives and also broaden the design possibilities.

ATLV/Education is a very direct tutorial website and gives out clear step-by-step instructions for beginners . Diagrams and topics are displayed coherently, started from very fundamental and basic topics to a much complex processes , complete with file examples and pdf .

[Image: A screen grab from the website of ATLV/Education].

[Image: A screen grab from the homepage of ATLV.org].

Read more at the ATLV/Education  and do check out the ATLV.org website for more information about the firm.

Source : ATLV.org

Tensegrity

Tensegrity structure or also known as tensional integrity, a portmanteau term that was coined by Buckminster Fuller in the 1960s. It is a structural principle which is based on the use of detached components in compression inside a net of continuous tension.It is also known as “floating compression”, a term that was promoted by Kenneth Snelson. Each compressed members such as struts or bars do not touch among another and the prestressed tensioned members , tendons or cables for example, define the system spatially. Snelson defines tensegrity as a closed structural system composed of a set of three or more elongate compression struts within a network of tension tendons, the combined parts mutually supportive in such a way that the struts do not touch one another, but press outwardly against nodal points in the tension network to form a firm, triangulated, prestressed, tension and compression unit. Triangulated network are stronger and even more firm, if compared to non-triangulated network. 

Basic tensegrity structure made up a tower. Photo courtesy to LiftArchitects

Precedent project by students of Ball State University

Biotensegrity

Biotensegrity, is a term coined by Dr. Stephen Levin, is the application of tensegrity principles to biologic structures.Harvard physicians and scientist Donald Ingber has developed a theory of tensegrity in molecular biology to explain cellular structure.The shape of cells are all can be mathematically modelled if a tensegrity model is used for cell’s cytoskeleton. Cytoskeleton is a network of fivers composed of proteins contained within a cell’s cytoplasm, which is dynamic structure, parts of which are constantly destroyed, renewed or newly constructed.

The study of tensegrity structure started through geometric remodeling the tensegrity model using digital softwares, to understand the deployability of the system . The basic form of tensegrity is being explored through addition of struts in the cell modules . The basic cell module is then are combined according to geometry tessellation . They were applied on regular surface and also irregular surface ,  while maintaining the structural frequency and mesh tension .

By using basic cell module of 3 struts, the tensional components were explored both using cables and fabric . The fabric helps in creating enclosures and more aesthetically pleasing in installation. It is still in the beginning of the design by studying the behavior of the system, with the goal to expand the possibilities of design in the future , either for Burning Man or Buro Happold.

For the next project, the possibility of the tensegrity structures will be explored more and the design will be highlighted on the playful intervention of tensegrity structure and the advantages of this super lightweight system for both proposal for Burning Man and Buro Happold .