Floating Azolla Farmhouses – Circular Agriculture & Living in Rotterdam

WHAT IS AZOLLA?

Azolla is a minuscule floating plant that forms part of a genus of species of aquatic ferns, also known as Mosquito Fern. It holds the world record in biomass producer – doubling in 2-3 days. The secret behind this plant is its symbiotic relationship with nitrogen fixing cyanobacterium Anabaena making it a superorganism. The Azolla Provides a microclimate for the cyanobacteria in exchange for nitrate fertiliser. Azolla is the only known case where a symbiotic relationship endures during the fern’s reproductive cycle and is passed on to the next generation. They also have a complimentary photosynthesis, using light from most of the visible spectrum and their growth is accelerated with elevated CO2 and Nitrogen.

Azolla is capable of producing natural biofertiliser, bioplastics because of its sugar contents and biofuel because of the large amount of lipids. Its growth requirements can accommodate many climates too, allowing it to be classified as a weed in many countries. I was able to study the necessary m2 of growing Azolla to sequester the same amount as my yearly CO2 emissions, resulting in 57% of a football field equivalent of growing Azolla to make me carbon neutral.

Why is this useful? Climate change will inevitably bring more adverse climate conditions that will put many world wide crops at risk and, as a consequence, will affect our lives. A crop that produces biomass at the speed of Azolla provides at advantage in flexibility: a soya bean can take months to grow until ready to be harvested, Azolla can be harvested twice a week. This plant has the potential to be used in the larger agricultural sector and diminish the Greenhouse Gas Emissions of one of the most pollutant sectors.

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REAL LIFE ACTION

I contacted the Azolla Research Group at the University of Utrecht and they kindly accepted to give us a tour of their research facilities, providing us with an in-depth insight into the aquatic fern. I also decided to approach the Floating Farm with a proposal of using Azolla in their dairy process. They agreed to explore this and I put them in contact with the research team in the University of Utrecht, who are now cooperating with the dairy farm’s team in decreasing the carbon emissions of the cows on the farm.

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ARCHITECTURAL PROPOSAL

Floating Azolla District Masterplan

The Floating Azolla District consists on a proposed community that emphasises a circular economy with a focus on sustainable agriculture in Rotterdam. It builds on to the existing Floating Farm found in the M4H area. It is formed of three areas:

1) Azolla – Dwellings combining a series of residential units for the increasing number of young entrepreneurs in the RID with three central cores growing stacked trays of Azolla as in vertical farming.

2) The Floating Farm which continues to produce dairy products and a Bamboo growing area to maintain the upkeep of floating platforms and construction of new dwellings. Floating rice paddies are grown in the warmer months in a closely monitored system of permaculture.

3) A production facility which concentrates on research and development into Azolla as well as retrieving the water fern’s byproducts such as bioplastics extracted from the sugars; biofuel, from the lipids; and bamboo plywood lumber for the construction of the expanding Floating District.

Dwellings

Floating Farm

Bamboo Growing Pods

Closed System in the Floating Azolla District

Floating Azolla District – Dwellings

Floating Azolla District – Dwellings

This section concentrates on the detail construction of the Azolla-Dwellings. These floating units are designed to be used as a combination of co-housing for entrepreneurs working in the Rotterdam Innovation District, where the Floating Farm is located, and indoor Azolla growing facilities which is then used further along in the masterplan. The growing areas are built on a series of building components that provide support for trays of Azolla to be grown in a vertical farming manner and provide support for the floor plates as well as anchoring for the entire dwelling.

Dwellings Construction Sequence

Exploded Axo – Dwellings

The materials are a combination of local bamboo grown on a series of floating platforms that prevent the cold winter winds from affecting the overall masterplan and pallets sourced from neighbouring industrial facilities. Using the reciprocal building system developed in Brief 1, a series of stacked components are linked to form the vertical farming support for the Azolla. This system is then extended to support the floors for the dwellings.

Azolla Vertical Farming Support

Similar to an aperture ring on a camera, this mechanism uses the varying tide to automatically collect the Azolla from the vertical farming trays to then be used throughout the Masterplan. By displacing 2.5% of the area for each tray every tidal change, this mechanism collects 50% of the harvest every 10 days allowing for a continuous growth of Azolla.

Azolla Collection Mechanism

Azolla Vertical Farming Trays and Floor Support

Azolla Vertical Farming Trays and Floor Support

The dwellings’ facade is a result of a careful analysis of harmful and beneficial solar radiation. By setting an initial average temperature to monitory, the facade will block sun that naturally would drive the temperature above the chosen one and the beneficial would bring the temperature up. This shading serves a buffer zone that surrounds the internal living spaces and is used to grow vegetables for the residents.

Thermal Responsive Facade Options.

Semi-public spaces are located on the ground floor (open plan kitchen and living) and bedrooms are located on the first floor, surround a central spiral staircase for circulation.

Ground Floor Plan

First Floor Plan

Exterior View

Interior View

The same building system based on reciprocal structures is coated in azolla bioplastic preventing the wood from rotting and making the form waterproof. These are used as underwater columns which allow the dwellings and platforms to float. Each ‘column’ can support a load of 2011Kg.

Support Floating Columns

SITE LOCATION

Floating Farm Rotterdam

Based on relationship between the University of Utrecht and the Floating Farm taking place outside the initially academic intention of the visit, I decided to use the Floating Farm as a site and a starting point for my proposal. The floating farm is intended to stand out and create an awareness of the possibility or idea of living on water and taking ownership of one’s food production, which seems to match the potential uses and benefits of Azolla. The researchers at the University of Utrecht expressed their need of getting the advantages of this plant to a wider public and this remained in my mind, possibly being the main reason behind my approach to the Floating Farm.

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The Floating Farm sits in the Merwehaven area or M4H in the Port of Rotterdam. Highlighted below are the natural site conditions that determined the placement of the masterplan parts according to their function. Bamboo growing pods are placed southwards of the port to block the winter wind while allowing the summer winds from the west to navigate through.

Site Study

In 2007, Rotterdam announced its ambition to become 100% climate-proof by 2025 despite having 80% of its land underwater, therefore it was important to look at the flood risk and tidal change. The Merwehaven area in Rotterdam seems to have an average tidal change of 2 metres which I thought could be taken advantage of in a mechanical system mentioned previously.

Tidal Changes in the Floating Farm Rotterdam

Flood Risk & Tidal changes in Rotterdam

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BUILDING SYSTEM & MATERIAL RESEARCH

The reciprocal building system used in the construction of the dwellings began by looking into the Fern plant and its’ form. All ferns are Pinnate – central axis and smaller side branches – considered a primitive condition. The veins never coalesce and are known to be ‘free’. The leaves that are broadly ovate or triangular tend to be born at right angles to the sunlight.

Reciprocal Fern Building System

I then decided to model a leaf digitally, attempting to simulate the fractal nature found in a fern frond and the leaves to 3 degrees of fractals. I then simplified the fern frond to 2 levels to allow for easier laser cutting and structural stability. The large perimeter meant, therefore, there was a large amount of surface area for friction so I explored different configurations and tested their intersections.

Iteration 1 Component Study

I then selected the fern frond intersection I found to show the best stability out of the tested ones shown previously. By arraying them further, they began to curve. When pressure is applied to the top of the arch, the intersections are strengthened and the piece appears to gain structural integrity.

Iteration 2 Double Curvature Study

When a full revolution is completed, the components appear to gain their maximum structural integrity. Since I had decided to digitally model the fern frond, I was able to decrease the distance between the individual leaves in the centre of each frond through grasshopper. By doing this, the intersections connecting a frond with another were less tight in the centre than on the extremities of each frond, allowing for double curvature.

Iteration 2 Double Curvature Study – Stress Test

Iteration 2 Double Curvature Study – Stress Test Findings

I continued to iterate the leave by decreasing any arching on the leaf and finding the minimum component, the smallest possible component in the system. By arraying a component formed of 3 ‘leaves’ on one hand and 2 on the other, I would be able to grow the system in one direction as before due to the reciprocal organisation and in the other direction by staggering the adjacent component. The stress tests of this arrangement showed a phased failure of the ‘column’. Instead of breaking at once, row by row of components failed with time, outwards-inwards.

Iterations 3, 4, 5 Minimum Building Component

Iteration 5 Minimum Building Component – Stress Test

Iteration 5 Minimum Building Component – Stress Test Findings

I extracted the minimum possible component from the previous iterations and attempted to merge the system with firstly, 3d printed PLA bioplastic components and then with an algae bioplastic produced at home. I became interested in the idea of being able to coat the wood in an algae bioplastic substituting the need for any epoxy for waterproofing. The stress tests for this component showed a surprising total of 956 kg-force for it to fail.

Agar Bioplastic Test

Here, I began combining different quantities of vegetable glycerine, agar agar (extracted from red algae and used for cooking) and water. By changing the ratios of agar and glycerine I was able to create 2 different bioplastics: one being brittle and the other flexible. See above for the flexible sample and below for the brittle sample. Both samples appeared to fail under the same 7 Kg-force.

Agar Bioplastic Tensile Test

For additional information please visit:

http://www.pteridomania.co.uk/

Reciprocal Fern Fronds

The fern is one of the basic examples of fractals. Fractals are infinitely complex patterns that are self-similar across different scales, created by repeating a simple process over and over in a loop. The Barnsley fern (Example here) shows how graphically beautiful structures can be built from repetitive uses of mathematical formulas.

Fern Parameters

Due to the fractal nature of the fern fronds, the perimeter of the laser cutting took a long time. By simplifying this, I began joining fronds to each other and the large perimeter allowed for enough friction for the fronds to adhere to the adjacent one. I explored this through a series of 4 different frond types (X Axes on matrix below), angles of rotation (Y2, Y3) and distance between each leaf (Y4).

Reciprocal Testing

With the study of many different arrangements of fronds and distances between each leaf in the frond, I was then able to select those that slotted in to the adjacent ones best and began arranging them with more components.

Reciprocal Testing – Flat Component

The arching nature of each individual leaf meant the configuration was only stable once the fitting in of each component had passed the node of the arch. By flattening each component into rectangular members, the friction that allows the components to adhere to each other would be constant throughout the length of the individual part. This means they could now be placed more or less fitted in to the other component, as desired.

Reciprocal Testing – Large Component

I then scaled up the component and attempted to array these as done with the smaller components above. Each component measured 600 mm length-wise and consisted of 5 members (3 facing one way and 2 facing the other, with a gap between them matching the width of each member). They originated from a central “stem” and attached to this by using glue and nails as to allow for easy manufacturing.

Ferntastic Azolla

Simultaneously, I also became intrigued by a small aquatic fern called Azolla which I thought would be worth exploring too.

What is interesting about this little plant is that it holds the world record in biomass producer – doubling in size from 3-10 days. It is all thanks to its symbiotic relationship with the nitrogen fixing cyanobacterium, Anabaena. This superorganism provides a micro-climate in exchange for nitrate fertilizer.They remain together during the fern’s reproductive cycle. They also have a complimentary photosynthesis, using light from most of the visible spectrum.

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The Nature of Gridshell Form Finding

Foreword

This post is the third installment of sort of trilogy, after Shapes, Fractals, Time & the Dimensions they Belong to, and Developing Space-Filling Fractals. While it’s not important to have read either of those posts to follow this one, I do think it adds a certain level of depth and continuity.

Regarding my previous entries, it can be difficult to see how any of this has to do with architecture. In fact I know a few people who think studying fractals is pointless.

Admittedly I often struggle to explain to people what fractals are, let alone how they can influence the way buildings look. However, I believe that this post really sheds light on how these kinds of studies may directly influence and enhance our understanding (and perhaps even the future) of our built environment.

On a separate note, I heard that a member of the architectural academia said “forget biomimicry, it doesn’t work.”

Firstly, I’m pretty sure Frei Otto would be rolling over in his grave.

Secondly, if someone thinks that biomimicry is useless, it’s because they don’t really understand what biomimicry is. And I think the same can be said regarding the study of fractals. They are closely related fields of study, and I wholeheartedly believe they are fertile grounds for architectural marvels to come.

7.0 Introduction to Shells

As far as classification goes, shells generally fall under the category of two-dimensional shapes. They are defined by a curved surface, where the material is thin in the direction perpendicular to the surface. However, assigning a dimension to certain shells can be tricky, since it kinda depends on how zoomed in you are.

A strainer is a good example of this – a two-dimensional gridshell. But if you zoom in, it is comprised of a series of woven, one-dimensional wires. And if you zoom in even further, you see that each wire is of course comprised of a certain volume of metal.

This is a property shared with many fractals, where their dimension can appear different depending on the level of magnification. And while there’s an infinite variety of possible shells, they are (for the most part) categorizable.

7.1 – Single Curved Surfaces

Analytic geometry is created in relation to Cartesian planes, using mathematical equations and a coordinate systems. Synthetic geometry is essentially free-form geometry (that isn’t defined by coordinates or equations), with the use of a variety of curves called splines. The following shapes were created via Synthetic geometry, where we’re calling our splines ‘u’ and ‘v.’

Uniclastic: Barrel Vault (Cylindrical paraboloid)

These curves highlight each dimension of the two-dimensional surface. In this case only one of the two ‘curves’ is actually curved, making this shape developable. This means that if, for example, it was made of paper, you could flatten it completely.

Uniclastic: Conoid (Conical paraboloid)

In this case, one of them grows in length, but the other still remains straight. Since one of the dimensions remains straight, it’s still a single curved surface – capable of being flattened without changing the area. Singly curved surfaced may also be referred to as uniclastic or monoclastic.

7.2 – Double Curved Surfaces

These can be classified as synclastic or anticlastic, and are non-developable surfaces. If made of paper, you could not flatten them without tearing, folding or crumpling them.

Synclastic: Dome (Elliptic paraboloid)

In this case, both curves happen to be identical, but what’s important is that both dimensions are curving in the same direction. In this orientation, the dome is also under compression everywhere.

The surface of the earth is double curved, synclastic – non-developable. “The surface of a sphere cannot be represented on a plane without distortion,” a topic explored by Michael Stevens: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2lR7s1Y6Zig

Anticlastic: Saddle (Hyperbolic paraboloid)

This one was formed by non-uniformly sweeping a convex parabola along a concave parabola. It’s internal structure will behave differently, depending on the curvature of the shell relative to the shape. Roof shells have compressive stresses along the convex curvature, and tensile stress along the concave curvature.

Kellogg’s potato and wheat-based stackable snack

Here is an example of a beautiful marriage of tensile and compressive potato and wheat-based anticlastic forces. Although I hear that Pringle cans are diabolically heinous to recycle, so they are the enemy.

Structural Behaviour of Basic Shells [Source: IL 10 – Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design]

7.3 – Translation vs Revolution

In terms of synthetic geometry, there’s more than one approach to generating anticlastic curvature:

Hyperbolic Paraboloid: Straight line sweep variation

This shape was achieved by sweeping a straight line over a straight path at one end, and another straight path at the other. This will work as long as both rails are not parallel. Although I find this shape perplexing; it’s double curvature that you can create with straight lines, yet non-developable, and I can’t explain it..

Ruled Surface & Surface of Revolution (Circular Hyperboloid)

The ruled surface was created by sliding a plane curve (a straight line) along another plane curve (a circle), while keeping the angle between them constant. The surfaces of revolution was simply made by revolving a plane curve around an axis. (Surface of translation also exist, and are similar to ruled surfaces, only the orientation of the curves is kept constant instead of the angle.)

 

Hyperboloid Generation [Source:Wikipedia]

The hyperboloid has been a popular design choice for (especially nuclear cooling) towers. It has excellent tensile and compressive properties, and can be built with straight members. This makes it relatively cheap and easy to fabricate relative to it’s size and performance.

These towers are pretty cool acoustically as well: https://youtu.be/GXpItQpOISU?t=40s

 

8.0 Geodesic Curves

These are singly curved curves, although that does sound confusing. A simple way to understand what geodesic curves are, is to give them a width. As previously explored, we know that curves can inhabit, and fill, two-dimensional space. However, you can’t really observe the twists and turns of a shape that has no thickness.

Conic Plank Lines (Source: The Geometry of Bending)

A ribbon is essentially a straight line with thickness, and when used to follow the curvature of a surface (as seen above), the result is a plank line. The term ‘plank line’ can be defined as a line with an given width (like a plank of wood) that passes over a surface and does not curve in the tangential plane, and whose width is always tangential to the surface.

Since one-dimensional curves do have an orientation in digital modeling, geodesic curves can be described as the one-dimensional counterpart to plank lines, and can benefit from the same definition.

The University of Southern California published a paper exploring the topic further: http://papers.cumincad.org/data/works/att/f197.content.pdf

8.1 – Basic Grid Setup

For simplicity, here’s a basic grid set up on a flat plane:

Basic geodesic curves on a plane

We start by defining two points anywhere along the edge of the surface. Then we find the geodesic curve that joins the pair. Of course it’s trivial in this case, since we’re dealing with a flat surface, but bear with me.

Initial set of curves

We can keep adding pairs of points along the edge. In this case they’re kept evenly spaced and uncrossing for the sake of a cleaner grid.

Addition of secondary set of curves

After that, it’s simply a matter of playing with density, as well as adding an additional set of antagonistic curves. For practicality, each set share the same set of base points.

Grid with independent sets

He’s an example of a grid where each set has their own set of anchors. While this does show the flexibility of a grid, I think it’s far more advantageous for them to share the same base points.

8.2 – Basic Gridshells

The same principle is then applied to a series of surfaces with varied types of curvature.

Uniclastic: Barrel Vault Geodesic Gridshell

First comes the shell (a barrel vault in this case), then comes the grid. The symmetrical nature of this surface translates to a pretty regular (and also symmetrical) gridshell. The use of geodesic curves means that these gridshells can be fabricated using completely straight material, that only necessitate single curvature.

Uniclastic: Conoid Geodesic Gridshell

The same grid used on a conical surface starts to reveal gradual shifts in the geometry’s spacing. The curves always search for the path of least resistance in terms of bending.

Synclastic: Dome Geodesic Gridshell

This case illustrates the nature of geodesic curves quite well. The dome was free-formed with a relatively high degree of curvature. A small change in the location of each anchor point translates to a large change in curvature between them. Each curve looks for the shortest path between each pair (without leaving the surface), but only has access to single curvature.

Anticlastic: Saddle Geodesic Gridshell

Structurally speaking, things get much more interesting with anticlastic curvature. As previously stated, each member will behave differently based on their relative curvature and orientation in relation to the surface. Depending on their location on a gridshell, plank lines can act partly in compression and partly in tension.

On another note:

While geodesic curves make it far more practical to fabricate shells, they are not a strict requirement. Using non-geodesic curves just means more time, money, and effort must go into the fabrication of each component. Furthermore, there’s no reason why you can’t use alternate grid patterns. In fact, you could use any pattern under the sun – any motif your heart desires (even tessellated puppies.)

Alternate Gridshell Patterns [Source: IL 10 – Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design]

Here are just a few of the endless possible pattern. They all have their advantages and disadvantages in terms of fabrication, as well as structural potential.

Biosphere Environment Museum – Canada

Gridshells with large amounts of triangulation, such as Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic spheres, typically perform incredibly well structurally. These structure are also highly efficient to manufacture, as their geometry is extremely repetitive.  

Centre Pompidou-Metz – France

Gridshells with highly irregular geometry are far more challenging to fabricate. In this case, each and every piece had to be custom made to shape; I imagine it must have costed a lot of money, and been a logistical nightmare. Although it is an exceptionally stunning piece of architecture (and a magnificent feat of engineering.)

8.3 – Gridshell Construction

In our case, building these shells is simply a matter of converting the geodesic curves into planks lines.

Hyperbolic Paraboloid: Straight Line Sweep Variation With Rotating Plank Line Grid

The whole point of using them in the first place is so that we can make them out of straight material that don’t necessitate double curvature. This example is rotating so the shape is easier to understand. It’s grid is also rotating to demonstrate the ease at which you can play with the geometry.

Hyperbolic Paraboloid: Flattened Plank Lines With Junctions

This is what you get by taking those plank lines and laying them flat. In this case both sets are the same because the shell happens to the identicall when flipped. Being able to use straight material means far less labour and waste, which translates to faster, and or cheaper, fabrication.

An especially crucial aspect of gridshells is the bracing. Without support in the form of tension ties, cable ties, ring beams, anchors etc., many of these shells can lay flat. This in and of itself is pretty interesting and does lends itself to unique construction challenges and opportunities. This isn’t always the case though, since sometimes it’s the geometry of the joints holding the shape together (like the geodesic spheres.) Sometimes the member are pre-bent (like Pompidou-Metz.) Although pre-bending the timber kinda strikes me as cheating thought.. As if it’s not a genuine, bona fide gridshell.

Toledo Gridshell 2.0. Construction Process [source: Timber gridshells – Numerical simulation, design and construction of a full scale structure]

This is one of the original build method, where the gridshell is assembled flat, lifted into shape, then locked into place.

9.0 Form Finding

Having studied the basics makes exploring increasingly elaborate geometry more intuitive. In principal, most of the shells we’ve looked are known to perform well structurally, but there are strategies we can use to focus specifically on performance optimization.

9.0 – Minimal Surfaces

These are surfaces that are locally area-minimizing – surfaces that have the smallest possible area for a defined boundary. They necessarily have zero mean curvature, i.e. the sum of the principal curvatures at each point is zero. Soap bubbles are a great example of this phenomenon.

Hyperbolic Paraboloid Soap Bubble [Source: Serfio Musmeci’s “Froms With No Name” and “Anti-Polyhedrons”]Soap film inherently forms shapes with the least amount of area needed to occupy space – that minimize the amount of material needed to create an enclosure. Surface tension has physical properties that naturally relax the surface’s curvature.

Kangaroo2 Physics: Surface Tension Simulation

We can simulate surface tension by using a network of curves derived from a given shape. Applying varies material properties to the mesh results in a shape that can behaves like stretchy fabric or soap. Reducing the rest length of each of these curves (while keeping the edges anchored) makes them pull on all of their neighbours, resulting in a locally minimal surface.

Here are a few more examples of minimal surfaces you can generate using different frames (although I’d like stress that the possibilities are extremely infinite.) The first and last iterations may or may not count, depending on which of the many definitions of minimal surfaces you use, since they deal with pressure. You can read about it in much greater detail here: https://tinyurl.com/ya4jfqb2

The Eden Project – United Kingdom

Here we have one of the most popular examples of minimal surface geometry in architecture. The shapes of these domes were derived from a series of studies using clustered soap bubbles. The result is a series of enormous shells built with an impressively small amount of material.

Triply periodic minimal surfaces are also a pretty cool thing (surfaces that have a crystalline structure – that tessellate in three dimensions):

http://facstaff.susqu.edu/brakke/evolver/examples/periodic/periodic.html

9.2 – Catenary Structures

Another powerful method of form finding has been to let gravity dictate the shapes of structures. In physics and geometry, catenary (derived from the Latin word for chain) curves are found by letting a chain, rope or cable, that has been anchored at both end, hang under its own weight. They look similar to parabolic curves, but perform differently.

Kangaroo2 Physics: Catenary Model Simulation

A net shown here in magenta has been anchored by the corners, then draped under simulated gravity. This creates a network of hanging curves that, when converted into a surface, and mirrored, ultimately forms a catenary shell. This geometry can be used to generate a gridshell that performs exceptionally well under compression, as long as the edges are reinforced and the corners are braced.

While I would be remiss to not mention Antoni Gaudí on the subject of catenary structure, his work doesn’t particularly fall under the category of gridshells. Instead I will proceed to gawk over some of the stunning work by Frei Otto.

Of course his work explored a great deal more than just catenary structures, but he is revered for his beautiful work on gridshells. He, along with the Institute for Lightweight Structures, have truly been pioneers on the front of theoretical structural engineering.

9.3 – Biomimicry in Architecture

There are a few different terms that refer to this practice, including biomimetics, bionomics or bionics. In principle they are all more or less the same thing; the practical application of discoveries derived from the study of the natural world (i.e. anything that was not caused or made by humans.) In a way, this is the fundamental essence of the scientific method: to learn by observation.

Example of Biomimicry

Frei Otto is a fine example of ecological literacy at its finest. A profound curiosity of the natural world greatly informed his understanding of structural technology. This was all nourished by countless inquisitive and playful investigations into the realm of physics and biology. He even wrote a series of books on the way that the morphology of bird skulls and spiderwebs could be applied to architecture called Biology and Building. His ‘IL‘ series also highlights a deep admiration of the natural world.

Of course he’s the not the only architect renown their fascination of the universe and its secrets; Buckminster Fuller and Antoni Gaudí were also strong proponents of biomimicry, although they probably didn’t use the term (nor is the term important.)

Gaudí’s studies of nature translated into his use of ruled geometrical forms such as hyperbolic paraboloids, hyperboloids, helicoids etc. He suggested that there is no better structure than the trunk of a tree, or a human skeleton. Forms in biology tend to be both exceedingly practical and exceptionally beautiful, and Gaudí spent much of his life discovering how to adapt the language of nature to the structural forms of architecture.

Fractals were also an undisputed recurring theme in his work. This is especially apparent in his most renown piece of work, the Sagrada Familia. The varying complexity of geometry, as well as the particular richness of detail, at different scales is a property uniquely shared with fractal nature.

Antoni Gaudí and his legacy are unquestionably one of a kind, but I don’t think this is a coincidence. I believe the reality is that it is exceptionally difficult to peruse biomimicry, and especially fractal geometry, in a meaningful way in relation to architecture. For this reason there is an abundance of superficial appropriation of organic, and mathematical, structures without a fundamental understanding of their function. At its very worst, an architect’s approach comes down to: ‘I’ll say I got the structure from an animal. Everyone will buy one because of the romance of it.”

That being said, modern day engineers and architects continue to push this envelope, granted with varying levels of success. Although I believe that there is a certain level of inevitability when it comes to how architecture is influenced by natural forms. It has been said that, the more efficient structures and systems become, the more they resemble ones found in nature.

Euclid, the father of geometry, believed that nature itself was the physical manifestation of mathematical law. While this may seems like quite a striking statement, what is significant about it is the relationship between mathematics and the natural world. I like to think that this statement speaks less about the nature of the world and more about the nature of mathematics – that math is our way of expressing how the universe operates, or at least our attempt to do so. After all, Carl Sagan famously suggested that, in the event of extra terrestrial contact, we might use various universal principles and facts of mathematics and science to communicate.

Developing Space-Filling Fractals

 

Foreword

Following my last post on the “…first, second, and third dimensions, and why fractals don’t belong to any of them…“, this post is about documenting my journey as I delve deeper into the subject of fractals, mathematics, and geometry.

The study of fractals is an intensely vast topic. So much so that I’m convinced you could easily spend several lifetimes studying them. That being said, I chose to focus specifically on single-curve geometry. But, keep in mind that I’m only really scratching the surface of what there is to explore.

4.0 Classic Space-Filling

Inspired by Georg Cantor’s research on infinity near the end of the 19th century, mathematicians were interested in finding a mapping of a one-dimensional line into two-dimensional space – a curve that will pass through through every single point in a given space.

Jeffrey Ventrella writes that “a space-filling curve can be described as a continuous mapping from a lower-dimensional space into a higher-dimensional space.” In other words, an initial one-dimensional curve is developed to increase its length and curvature – the amount of space in occupies in two dimensions. And in the mathematical world, where a curve technically has no thickness and space is infinitely vast, this can be done indefinitely.

4.1 Early Examples

In 1890, Giuseppe Peano discovered the first of what would be called space-filing curves:

4 Iterations of the Peano Curve

An initial ‘curve’ is drawn, then each element of the curve is replace by the whole thing. Here it is done four times, and it’s easy to imagine how you can keep doing this over and over again. One would think that if you kept doing this indefinitely, this one-dimensional curve would eventually fill all of two-dimensional space and become a surface. However it can’t, since it technically has no thickness. So it will be as close as you can get to a surface, without actually being a surface (I think.. I’m not that sure..)

A year later, David Hilbert followed with his slightly simpler space-filing curve:

8 Iterations of the Hilbert Curve

In 1904, Helge von Koch describes a single complex continuous curve, generated with rudimentary geometry.

7 Iterations of the Koch Curve

Around 1967, NASA physicists John Heighway, Bruce Banks, and William Harter discovered what is now commonly known as the Dragon Curve.

13 Iterations of the Dragon Curve

4.2 Later Examples

You may have noticed that some of these curves are better at filling space than others, and this is related to their dimensional measure. They fall under the category of fractals because they’re neither one-dimensional, nor two-dimensional, but sit somewhere in between. For these examples, their dimension is often defined by exactly how much space they fill when iterated infinitely.

While these are some of the earliest space-filling curves to be discovered, they are just a handful of the likely endless different variations that are possible. Jeffrey Ventrella spent over twenty-five years exploring fractal curves, and has illustrated over 200 hundred of them in his book ‘Brain-Filling Curves, A Fractal Bestiary.’ They are organised according to a taxonomy of fractal curve families, and are shown with a unique genetic code.

Incidentally, in an attempt to recreate one of the fractals I found in Jeffery Ventrella’s book, I accidentally created a slightly different fractal. As far as I’m concerned, I’ve created a new fractal and am unofficially naming it ‘Nicolino’s Quatrefoil.’ The following was created in Rhino and Grasshopper, in conjunction Anemone.

5 Iterations of Nicolino’s Quatrefoil

You can find beautifully animated space-filling curves here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RU0wScIj36o

(along with some other great videos by ‘3Blue1Brown’ discussing the nature of space-filling curves, fractals, infinite math, and more)

On A Strange Note:

It’s possible to iterate a version of the Hilbert Curve that (once repeated infinity) can fill three-dimensional space.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NhKmipo_Ek4

As an object, it seems perplexingly difficult to categorize. It is a single, one-dimensional, curve that is ‘bent’ in space following simple, repeating rules. Following the same logic as the original Hilbert Curve, we know that this can be done indefinitely, but this time it is transforming into a volume instead of a surface. (Ignoring the fact that it is represented with a thickness) It is a one-dimensional curve transforming into a three-dimensional volume, but is never a two-dimensional surface? As you keep iterating it, its dimension gradually increases from 1 to eventually 3, but will never, ever, ever be 2??

Nevertheless this does actually support a statement I made in my last post suggesting “…there is no ‘first’ or ‘second’ dimension. It’s a bit like pouring three cups of water into a vase and asking someone which cup is the first one. The question doesn’t even make sense…“

5.0 Avant-Garde Space-Filling

In the case of the original space-filling curve, the goal was to fill all of infinite space. However the fundamental behaviour of these curves change quite drastically when we start to play with the rules used to generate them. For starters, they do not have to be so mathematically tidy, or geometrically pure. The following curves can be subdivided infinitely, making them true space-filling curves. But, what makes them special is the ability to control the space-filling process, whereas the original space-filling curves offer little to no artistic license.

5.1 The Traveling Salesman Problem

Let’s say that we change the criteria, from passing through every single point in space, to passing only through the ones we choose. This now becomes a well documented computational problem that has immediate ‘real world’ applications.

Our figurative traveling salesman wishes to travel the country selling his goods in as many cities as he can. In order to maximize his net profit, he must make his journey as short as possible, while of course still visiting every city on his list. His best possible route becomes exponentially more challenging to work out, as even just a handful of cities can generate thousands of permutations.

There are a variety of different strategies to tackle this problem, a few of which are described here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SC5CX8drAtU

The result is ultimately a single curve, filling a space in a uniquely controlled fashion. This method can be used to create single-lined drawings based on points extracted from Voronoi diagrams, a topic explored by Arjan Westerdiep:

http://drububu.com/illustration/tsp/index.html

This illustration, commissioned by Bill Cook at University of Waterloo, is a solution to the Traveling Salesman Problem.

5.2 Differential Growth

If we let physics (rather than math) dictate the growth of the curve, the result becomes more organic and less controlled.

In this example Rhino is used with Grasshopper and Kangaroo 2. A curve is drawn on a plain, broken into segments, then gradually increased in length. As long as the curve is not allowed to cross itself (which is achieved here with ‘Collision Spheres’), the result is a curve that is pretty good at uniformly filling space.

Differential Growth with Rhino & Grasshopper – Kangaroo 2 – Planar

The geometry doesn’t even have to be bound by a planar surface; It can be done on any two-dimensional surface (or in three-dimensions (even higher spacial dimensions I guess..)).

Differential Growth with Rhino & Grasshopper – Kangaroo 2 – NonPlanar

Differential Growth with Rhino & Grasshopper – Kangaroo 2 – Single-Curved Stanford Rabbit

Additionally, Anemone can be used in conjunction with Kangaroo 2 to continuously subdivide the curve as it grows. The result is much smoother, as well as far more organic.

Differential Growth with Rhino & Grasshopper – Kangaroo 2 & Anemone – Octopus

Of course the process can also be reversed, allowing the curve to flow seamlessly from one space to another.

Differential Growth with Rhino & Grasshopper – Kangaroo 2 & Anemone – BatmanDuck

Here are far more complex examples of growth simulations exploring various rules and parameters:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9HI8FerKr6Q&t=1s

6.0 Developing Fractal Curves

In the interest of creating something a little more tangible, it is possible to increase the dimension of these curves. Recording the progressive iterations of a space filling curve allow us to generate what is essentially a space-filling surface. This new surface has the unique quality of being able to fill a three-dimensional space of any shape and size, while being a single surface. It of course also shares the same qualities as its source curves, where it keep increasing in surface area (and can do so indefinitely).

Surface Unrolling Study

If you were to keep gradually (but indefinitely) increasing the area of a surface this way in a finite space, the result will be a two-dimensional surface seamlessly transforming into a three-dimensional volume.

6.1 Dragon’s Feet

Here is an example of turning the dragon curve into a space-filling surface. Each iteration is recorded and offset in depth, all of which inform the generation of a surface that loosely flows through each of them. This was again achieved with Rhino and Grasshopper.

I don’t believe this geometry has a name beyond ‘the developing dragon curve’, so I’ve called it ‘Dragon’s Feet.’

Adding a little thickness to the model allow us to 3D print it.

https://sketchfab.com/models/5186e4ad0d5d4e9db4772f66811a02f1/embed

Developing Dragon Curve: Dragon’s Feet – 3D Print

6.2 Hilbert’s Curtain

Here is the Hilbert Curve going through the same process, which I am aptly naming ‘Hilbert’s Curtain.’

https://sketchfab.com/models/8af51753e6874858ab3160d45c0928a8/embed

Developing Hilbert Curve: Hilbert’s Curtain – 3D Print

3D Printing Space-Filling Curves with Henry Segerman at Numberphile:

https://youtu.be/x-DgL49CFlM?t=4m25s 

‘Developing Fractal Curves’ by Geoffrey Irving & Henry Segerman:

http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/17513472.2013.852399

6.3 Developing Whale Curve

Unsurprisingly this can also be done with differentially grown curve. The respective difference being that this method fills a specific space in a less controlled manner.

In this case with Kangaroo 2 is used to grow a curve into the shape of a whale. Like before, each iteration is used to inform a single-surface geometry.

Iterative Steps of the Differentially Grown Whale Curve

https://sketchfab.com/models/42a35c1761f042e49de1a38baa785a9c/embed

Developing Whale Curve – 3D Print

The Amazing Surf

Project Summary

The Amazing Surf is a complex fractal geometry which ascends toward the light, symbolizing our obsession with reaching for the stars. We use our increasingly digital world to help us extend our reach, but at what point do the shadows we cast reach out above us?

Physical Description

The shape is inspired by the Amazing surf fractal which is generated by a mathematical formula and visualized in Mandelbulb3D. A visually imposing 25ft tall Ply wood hyperbolic structure, with intricate evolving folded panels. Each folded panel is digitally unrolled into a 2D net and CNC milled, the resultant ply components will be glued to a layer of fabric and folded back to their original 3D shape. This construction technique removes the need for a supporting frame, keeping the complex geometry unobstructed from view. A few panels have been removed at the base to make way for an entry point. Neon strips attached to each panel will produce dramatic light patterns on the surface at night. The installation will orient toward the sunset, where the sun appears at it’s closest.

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Interactivity & Mission

The piece is intended to be used as an impromptu climbing frame, a ladder to ascend burners above the desert and into the stars. Sunlight will bounce off the multi-faceted shapes, creating intricate patterns of light and shadow. Burners are invited to dance in the light shafts and seek shelter in the shadows. As the shape begins to flatten toward the top, the folded panels can be used as armchairs, where vision will be limited to that of the sky and light above; burners can sit and watch as the sky transforms from day to night.

Philosophy

“Keep your face always toward the sunshine – and shadows will fall behind you”

-Walt Whitman

As a race we strive to advance, developing new tools and machines to help us in this process. There will come a point in the not too distant future where the machines we have developed to help us will supersede us; we will become so reliant on technology, it will begin to control us. I see the Amazing Surf installation as a juxtaposition to this potential future; on the one hand we are using technology to create built environments that are intricate, beautiful and unique, on the other hand these environments are only attainable through the use of technology. If only we took a moment to look back into the shadows, we could avoid the fate that we are gradually bringing upon ourselves.

The Wishing Well

Summary

The Wishing Well is the physical manifestation, a snap-shot, of a creature caught in between dimensions – frozen in time. It is a digital entity that has been extracted from its home in the fractured planes of the mathematical realm; a differentially grown curve in bloom, organically filling space in the material world.

3D Printed Differential Space-Filling Curve

3D Printed Developing Hilbert Curve

The notion of geometry in between dimensions is explored in a previous post: Shapes, Fractals, Time & the Dimensions they Belong to

 

Description

The piece will be built from the bottom-up. Starting with the profile of a differentially grown curve (a squiggly line), an initial layer will be set in pieces of 2 x 4 inch wooden studs (38 x 89 millimeter profile) laid flat, and anchored to the ground. Each subsequent layer will be built upon and fixed to the last, where each new layer is a slightly smoother version than the last. 210 layers will be used to reach a height of 26 feet (8 meters). The horizontal spaces in between each of the pieces will automatically generate hand and foot holes, making the structure easily climbable. The footprint of the build will be bound to a space 32 x 32 feet.

The design may utilize two layers, inner and out, that meet at the top to increase the structural integrity for the whole build. It will be lit from within, either from the ground with spotlights or with LED strip lights following patterns along the walls.

Different Recursive Steps of a Dragon Curve

Ambition

At the Wishing Well, visitors embark on a small journey, exploring the uniquely complex geometry of the structure before them. As they approach the foot of the well, it will stand towering above them, undulating organically across the landscape. The nature of the structure’s curves beckons visitors to explore the piece’s every nook and cranny. Moreover, its stature grants a certain degree of shelter to any traveller seeking refuge from the Playa’s extreme weather conditions. The well’s shape and scale allows natural, and artificial, light to interact in curious ways with the structure throughout the day and night. The horizontal gaps between every ‘brick’ in the wall allows light to filter through each layer, which in turn casts intriguing shadows across the desert. This perforation also allows Burners to easily, and relatively safely, scale the face of the build. Visitors will have the opportunity to grant a wish by writing it down on a tag and fixing it to the well’s interior.

 

Philosophy

If you had one magical (paradox free) wish, to do anything you like, what would it be?

Anything can be wished for at the Wishing Well, but a wish will not come true if it is deemed too greedy. Visitors must write their wish down on a tag and fix it to the inside of the well. They must choose wisely, as they are only allowed one. Additionally, they may choose to leave a single, precious, offering. However, if the offering does not burn, it will not be accepted. Visitors will also find that they must tread lightly on other people’s wishes and offerings.

The color of the tag and offering are important as they are associated with different meanings:

• ► PINK – love
• ► RED – happiness, joy, success, good luck, passion, vitality, celebration
• ► ORANGE – change, adaptability, spontaneity, concentration
• ► YELLOW – nourishment, warmth, clarity, empathy, being free from worldly cares
• ► GREEN – growth, balance, healing, self-assurance, benevolence, patience
• ► BLUE – conservation, healing, relaxation, exploration, trust, calmness
• ► PURPLE – spiritual awareness, physical and mental healing
• ► BLACK – profoundness,  stability, knowledge, trust, adaptability, spontaneity,
• ► WHITE – mourning, righteousness, purity, confidence, intuition, spirits, courage

The Wishing Well is a physical manifestation of the wishes it holds. They are something caught in between – on their way to becoming more. I wish for guests to reflect on where they’ve been, where they are, where they are going, and where they wish to go.

Anahad

 

ANAHAD

– Limitless Sound –

“Vocal music is considered to be the highest, for it is natural; the effect produced by an instrument which is merely a machine cannot be compared with that of the human voice. However perfect strings maybe, they cannot make the same impression on the listener as the voice which comes directly from the soul-breath and has been brought to the surface through the medium of the mind and the vocal organs of the body”.

– Harzat Inayat Khan, The Mysticism of Music, Sound and Word –

 

The combination of architecture, derived from fractal geometry, and the power of sound led to the creation of Anahad. This installation is an interactive musical display, which will be acting as musical instrument giving voice to the burners and the surrounding environment.

This art installation, which challenges the perception of nature, is called Anahad. I am planning to build 3 free-standing “trees”, each measuring 1.5m in diameter at the base and 3m at the top. The trees are 5m tall and they are composed of 105 copper pipes or mild metal tubes each measuring 6m long and ranging between 30 and 45mm in diameter. A central column connected to a solid base is the main structural element supporting 2 concentric layers of pipes.

The most external pipes are bent and perforated and filled with LED strips that will shine through the openings. Every pipe will generate a different sound based on the perforation pattern and the bends. The inner pipes, which are only bent and connected to a propane tank, will spit fire from the top.

Anahad establishes a connection among the user, the art, and the environment.
Can you recall how the wind blowing sounds? Is it always the same? This design will act as a musical instrument, which will be playable both by burners and the Playa itself.
During nighttime, the user will be transported both visually and sensorially into a digital forest through a LED light show mimicking sun rays penetrating the forest treetops. Then flames will be shooting out from the top to mark every hour.
The aim of this installation is to create an uninterrupted musical performance, combining the sounds produced by burners hitting the pipes or by the wind blowing through the pipes. The central space between the three trees and the niches at their base will provide a space to meditate and be mindful of the soundless sound of the Playa. This installation in its simplicity will connect people and natural environment through the use of musical harmony.

Anahad is solely an instrument through which the breath of the Playa will blow, singing for the burners. Vice versa, burners will be able to express themselves striking the metal pipes playing melodies for the community and the surroundings.
This installation aims to connect the people to the Playa. The three “trees” are a digital fabricated representation of a natural forest. In a world where disconnecting from reality becomes a luxury, where innovation takes over simplicity, and nature gets left aside in our busy lives, music is what makes us human. Anahad challenges the way we experience reality, by combining the digital and virtual world with the natural environment. The aim is to provide the participants with an ideal environment for them to meditate in and be mindful of their whole experience.

dis|integration[loops]

dis/integration[loops], inspired by the composer William Basinski’s seminal works of the same name, explores the limitations of digital processes in our world – and the chaos that can unfold from overreliance on them.

A towering array is assembled from recursive fragments of an inherently destructive process. It explores the tension that exists between the digital and physical realms; challenging an immortal, digital world, the glorious ruin of the analogue realm confronts the perceived perfection of the artificial.

Existing in a state of intended incompleteness, dis/integration[loops] eschews vanity in favour of exhibiting procedural rawness; the power of ruinous accident reveals itself through the tarnishing of idyllic digitalism.

Pressure-laminated plywood modules, form-found through iterative casting experiments, connect to form a pervious, fragmented structure; it’s transcience and impermanence exaggerated as night follows day.

In the same way that Basinski’s fragile recordings were destroyed upon being processed by the human ear, dis/integration[loops] exists in a contented, lush and shimmering state prior to being activated by human presence.

Proximity-controlled LED lighting impregnates the structure. When combined with sounds inspired by those Basinski’s (de)generative process created, this affords a level of animated deconstruction upon activation; visually and sonically, the imperfect presence of humanity causes dis/integration[loops] to be engulfed in chaotic ripples of distortion.

It’s most perfect (yet still decidedly imperfect) state is one in which it lies dormant and peaceful, undiscovered by the presence of people. It experientially disintegrates upon activation.

The fragmented structure exaggerates ever-changing natural light conditions and provides shelter, as well as an intimate, tactile space withi it’s permeable walls.

‘And then as the last crackle faded and the music was no more, I took in my surroundings and looked around at the faces and I was right there with everybody and we were alive.’

dis/integration[loops] is a reminder than everything we encounter eventually falls apart and returns to dust. It challenges the perfect, edited, occularcentrism that blights our social lives, explores the sound of decay, and the beauty that can exist in destruction. It is a meditation on death and loss, and exploration on a theme that some things are better left untouched.

The experience of life – a gradual disintegration – is simultaneously enriched and eroded by the imperfect nature of our encounters; pristine digitalism deserves a tarnished, ruinous quality symbolic of our experiences.

‘and I was right there with everybody and we were alive.’

Mixpinski’s Myriad

In mathematics a fractal is an abstract object used to describe and simulate naturally occurring objects. Artificially created fractals commonly exhibit similar patterns at increasingly small scales. It is also known as expanding symmetry or evolving symmetry.  Mandelbulb 3D allows us to explore fractals in 3D, creating a seamless amalgamation of maths, art and science.

Understanding how this geometry can become infinite and how it can be built within the constraints of the physical reality was part of the philosophy of my piece.

Mandelbulb 3d fractals:

 

From these specific chosen 3d Fractals I noticed a clear correlation with the natural formation of crystalline structures, in particular Hopper crystals.

Hopper crystals form when there is more rapid growth at the outer edges of a face than at the centre. This results in what appears to be a hollowed out step lattice formation, as if someone had removed interior sections of the individual crystals. This missing part was never actually developed as the crystals grow so rapidly that there is never time for this to be developed. Hopper crystals are very similar to the cubic halite skeletal crystals formed from extreme supersaturation in salt lakes existing in nature. Hopper crystals can be found in rose quartz, gold, calcite, bismuth, salt and ice. I looked at the growth of these crystals to better understand the structural qualities.

Hopper Crystal Formation:

From looking at the crystalline structure it became apparent that the connection between the tapered levels was very important to the structure and adaptability of the proposal. The versatility of this connection allows for flexibility and movement within the module. The connector can be placed on any material simply by adapting the end nodes width to factor for the material depth. By creating this modular junction I can join all the stepped timber elements of the proposal in such a way that they are all supporting each other.

Connection options:

Hopper crystal growth is never as predicted due to outside influences such as movement and temperature change. These influences creates the beautiful images we see of their crystalline forms and without these the fractal crystal growth would be predictable and simplistic. It is with these outside interactions that the crystals have their own idiosyncrasies. By combining the hopper crystal growth with the organic forms created with the 3d fractal generator, I created a pavilion proposal. Using a stepped form and the junction designed above I could use the unpredictable growth lines to create an interesting pavilion which can be experienced in the same way that crystals would grow, naturally and not within their algorithmic form. Nature does not always conform to predictability. The pavilion expresses this individuality and in turn expresses the way in which we grow as individuals, adapting to our environments and moulded by our experiences.

This project is a physical exploration of crystal formation centred around the theme of fractals. It aims to combine one joint in order to create a crystalline structure. Inspired by the geometry from the crystalline growth the lattice structure provides sanctuary and calm in a sea of dust and at night mesmerising myriads of stepped lights will illuminate the playa.The proposed installation will be formed of a mixture of 2 x 4 timber with CNC curved plywood pieces incorporated into the structure. Each 2 x 4 will have a joint or a pocket in order for it to slot into and support the weight of the neighbouring beam or column. The project will appear out of the sand as an elegant stepped fractal structure which gives the proposal an ecclesiastical ambiance.

The intertwined stepped lattice timber elements form congregation and celebratory spaces, whilst capturing special views of the playa. The stepped elements promote Burners to climb and crawl between the spaces created by the overlapped timbers. At night when you ascend through the individual spaces the lights will constantly change and oscillate. With the lights constantly changing and staggering further through the elements the stepped structure will be enhanced.  The project aims to play with the burners’ perception of depth where the lattice stepped geometry is staggered and rotated. At night this perception is further confused by  the LED coloured strips oscillating along the staggered stepped beams and columns. The burners can seek sanctuary in a space in which dimensionality and form is confused and adapted.

 

 

 

 

From Fractals to Senses

Think back to when you were younger – how many times were you exposed to technology in a day? Whether it was a phone, a computer or watching TV. The world has had a dramatic advancement in technology and the questions that should be asked are, “are we as humans becoming more robotic? Running day-to-day tasks repeatedly?” My aim with the project below and the help of Burning man is to try to make us human again by reflecting on the 5 senses. Part of my childhood in Kenya was filled with no technology at times especially because it was a third world country. Weather I spent an hour climbing trees or just playing several different sports – no technology was involved. From a more personal experience babies/ kids at the age of 1 are already watching TV and playing games on phones. Where were we 30 or 100 years ago and where are we now? Who are you? What is your identity? When was the last time you experienced something that moved you spiritually/ emotionally? The journey through a temple or certain spaces can personally move me at times. If it’s just experiencing the space or listening to religious hymns – having a connection with something greater than yourself can not be described but just needs to be experienced.

Manveer Sembi’s Aexion Fractal imported from Mandelbulb3D to Rhino and 3D Printed

Art installation name: To Make One Human Again

Project Description
Fractal geometry has always existed but was very recently discovered. The chosen design is based a fractal (as shown above) and the research of temples. At this stage in time everyone around has become very dependent on computers and technology as days go on – systematically – wake up, go to work, have lunch, work again, come home, sleep, repeat. It appears we have become robots running day to day tasks.

Physical Description
The structure is to have several entrances with a variety of different spaces – each space can be used in different ways. The proposed idea is to focus on most of the senses and finally introduce the user/ occupant to an area which can be used as he or she prefers. People who visit the installation will have a range of different background and want to reflect in different ways. The idea of interfaith participation with the installation will be a focus and even if one is an atheist, they should still be able to reflect with the installation. Experiencing the senses in the art piece/ sculpture shall take away the user from their day to day working/ life and try to make them experience a change in conditions which would make them feel “Human” .

Interactivity and mission
The proposal uses the 5 senses, so in order to enter into the main space, the user will need to experience one of the 5 senses. The space in the middle/ communal space can be used for multiple purposes (as burners see fit).
This is a preliminary installation for myself. The project is still at its concept stage and through experimentation and learning a working design can easily be constructed. The assembly process may need more than a one person (burner/ volunteers can help).
Although the burners may use this installation in different ways, possibly climbing it – the final product should be partially combustible, and any material left can be re-used by recycling.
The sensory installation will allow people to reflect with their inner self. Some memories are brought back with certain smells etc. For the installation to work, all the spaces must be kept clean at all times and each person’s privacy respected.

Philosophy of the piece
Focusing on fractal geometries at university – I was drawn to looking at Sikh and Hindu temples. Some of these temples use fractals in their construction. I have studied and worked in the UK but was born and brought up in Kenya. I have come across a range of different people with backgrounds which vary dramatically. The first world counties highly depend on technology and even now certain third world countries value technology over day to day necessities such as food. The idea of using the senses allows technology to be minimised in the installation and for one to be made human again. This is one of my major motivations, however, the objective of the installation at burning man is to experiment with the scalability of materials, construction techniques and to provide a sensory experience.

The proposal of using the 5 senses.
Sight – Certain LED lights can be added to the structure – so that it is visible at night.
Smell – Scent infused timber can be used so during the burn, these can be released or as people occupy the space the timber can have a smell to it.
Touch – Some of the timber can be engraved/ have different textures
Taste – The users can sit in the space to have their snacks/ meals
Hear – Chimes or other instruments which harness the wind can be hung in this area.