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.

16/05/14 DS10 Final Cross-Crit

We had our final crit today! Great projects concluding our brief2B:Realize. Here are couple pictures. Thank you very much to our external critiques Daewha Kang (Associate Zaha Hadid Architects), Lawrence Friesen (GenGeo), Stephen Melville (Director Ramboll UK), James Solly (Buro Happold), Michael Clarke and to our colleagues Anna Liu and Roberto Botazzi.

Joe Leach's Burning Man Temple
Joe Leach’s Burning Man Temple
Joe Leach's Burning Man Temple
Joe Leach’s Burning Man Temple
Andrei Jippa's 3D printed fractal city
Andrei Jipa’s 3D printed fractal city
Andrei Jippa's 3D printed fractal city
Andrei Jipa’s 3D printed fractal city
Josh Haywood's Pop-Up Mosque in Trafalgar Square
Josh Haywood’s Pop-Up Mosque in Trafalgar Square
Garis Lu's Mont St-Michel's Chanting Bridge
Garis Lu’s Mont St-Michel’s Chanting Bridge
Lorna Jackson's Surreal Dali Museum
Lorna Jackson’s Surreal Dali Museum
Lorna Jackson's Surreal Dali Museum
Lorna Jackson’s Surreal Dali Museum
William Garforth-Bless'Bamboo Tower for the Damyang festival
William Garforth-Bless’Bamboo Tower for the Damyang festival
Charlotte Yates' London Fasion Festival Origami Catwalk
Charlotte Yates’ London Fasion Festival Origami Catwalk
Charlotte Yates' London Fasion Festival Origami Catwalk
Charlotte Yates’ London Fasion Festival Origami Catwalk
Sarah Stell's Zipped Building
Sarah Stell’s Zipped Building
Sarah Stell's Zipped Building
Sarah Stell’s Zipped Building
Georgia Collard-Watson's Burlesque Festival Pop-Up structure
Georgia Collard-Watson’s Burlesque Festival Pop-Up structure
Naomi Danos' joyful wall breaking media centre in Israel/Palestine
Naomi Danos’ joyful wall breaking media centre in Israel/Palestine
Jessica Beagleman's Kabbalah Centre
Jessica Beagleman’s Kabbalah Centre
George Guest's Fringe Festival Bridge
George Guest’s Fringe Festival Bridge
Sarah Shuttleworth's Promenade Concerts in Hyde Park
Sarah Shuttleworth’s Promenade Concerts in Hyde Park
Dhiren Patel's twisting hexagons bamboo structure for Durja Purja
Dhiren Patel’s twisting hexagons bamboo structure for Durja Purja
Mark Simpson's Artificial Diamond Funerarium
Mark Simpson’s Artificial Diamond Funerarium

31/10/2013 Cross-Crit 1

Here are couple images of our first Cross-Crit which concludes Brief01:Systems and marks the beginning of our brief2A:Festival. Students will now chose a festival of their choice and use their design systems to submit a proposal for it. Thank you Michael Clarke, Kester Rattenbury and Andrew Yau for the great crit today!

Natasha Coutts' stacking spiky shingles system
Natasha Coutts’ stacking spiky shingles system
Joe Leach's soft reciprocal system
Joe Leach’s soft reciprocal system
Andrei Jippa's RepRap 3D prints.
Andrei Jippa’s RepRap 3D prints.
John Harding's woven lattice
John Koning’s woven lattice

Final Crit – Thursday 16th May

It was DS10’s Final crit yesterday which concludes our BRIEF03:TEMPLE. Wonderful day with a wide spectrum of temples showing the concerns and fascinations of a group of twenty-one architectural students in 2013. A myriad of political and spiritual statements on today’s society helped by parametric design tools and physical modelling. Here is the list of all the themes that emerged in the third term:

  • Temple to Love and Lust in Brighton, U.K. – by Georgia-Rose Collard-Watson
  • Temple to Revolution in Tahrir Square, Egypt – by Luka Kreze
  • Temple to Making in the City of London, U.K. – by Michael Clarke
  • Temple to Vibrations on Mount Neru, Tanzania – by Dhiren Pattel
  • Temple to Crowdfunding the City of London, U.K. – by Sarah Shuttleworth
  • Temple to Infinity in the Mojave Desert, U.S.A – by Andrei Jippa
  • Temple to Augmented Reality near Oxford Street, London, U.K. – by Mark Simpson
  • Temple to Gin, near Kings Cross, London, U.K. – by George Guest
  • Temple to Permaculture, in Totness, U.K. – by Philp Hurrel
  • Temple to Bees, in the Olympic Park, London, U.K. – by Jake Alsop
  • Temple against Electro-Magnetic Radiations, in Snowdonia National Park, U.K. – by Chris Ingram
  • Temple against Pre-Packaged Meat, in Smithfield Market, London, U.K. – by Alex Woolgar
  • Temple to Bio-Polymers , in Thelford, U.K. – by Marilu Valente
  • Temple against Consumerism, in Selfridges, London, U.K. – by Jessica Beagleman
  • Temple to Online Knowledge, in the Sillicon Roundabour, London, U.K. – by Tim Clare
  • Temple to the Awareness of Death, in Mexico – by Thanasis Korras
  • Temple of Illusion, in South Bank, London, U.K.- by Daniel Dodds
  • Temple to Water on the Thames, London, U.K. – by William Garforth-Bless
  • Temple to Atheism in Lower Lea Valley Park, London, U.K. – by Emma Whitehead
  • Temple to Light in Elephant and Castle, London, U.K. – by Josh Haywood
  • Temple to Sun Worship in the Wyndham Council Estate, Camberwell London, U.K. – by Natasha Coutts

Thank you very much to all our external critiques: William Firebrace, Jeanne Sillett, Harri Lewis and Jack Munro.  Two weeks more to go until the hand-in of portfolios (28th May). Here are couple pictures:

Luka Kreze's thorned tensegrity architecture against dictatorship on Tahrir Square and a manual for revolution.
Luka Kreze’s thorned tensegrity architecture against dictatorship on Tahrir Square – A manual to start a revolution.
Jake Alsop's wax-generated temple for Bees
Jake Alsop’s wax-generated temple for Bees
Chris Ingram's Slate Community, away from electro-magnetic radiation
Chris Ingram’s Slate Community, away from electro-magnetic radiation
Marilu Valente's Digital/Physical experiement on elastic bio-polymer
Marilu Valente’s Digital/Physical experiement on elastic bio-polymer
Marilu Valente's diagramming of the  bio-polymer stretch
Marilu Valente’s diagramming of the bio-polymer stretch
Emma's  'Agora' - temple agora / forum for Sunday assembly -atheist congregation and for tech startup groups /music network Sofar sounds
Emma’s ‘Agora’ – forum for Sunday assembly – atheist congregation
Sarah Shuttleworth's Temple to crowdfunding - Kickstarter HQ
Sarah Shuttleworth’s Temple to crowdfunding – Kickstarter HQ
Crowdfunded structure for Sarah Shuttleworth's roof
Crowdfunded structure for Sarah Shuttleworth’s roof
Jessica Beagleman's "Atelier" on the roof of Selfridges is made of sewed pieces of plywood/
Jessica Beagleman’s “Atelier” on the roof of Selfridges is made of sewed pieces of plywood/
William Garforth-Bless'Temple to Water using a thin fiber glass shell and floating components on the Thames
William Garforth-Bless’Temple to Water using a thin fiber glass shell and floating components on the Thames
Philip Hurrell's Temple to the Transition Movement in Totness, Devon
Philip Hurrell’s Temple to the Transition Movement in Totness, Devon
Daniel Dodds' abstract for the Temple of Illustion
Daniel Dodds’ abstract for the Temple of Illustion
Tim Clare's temple to online knowledge is an irregular gridshell following learning spaces
Tim Clare’s temple to online knowledge is an irregular gridshell following learning spaces
The story of a reciprocal structure and a temple to making by Michael Clarke
The story of a reciprocal structure and a temple to making by Michael Clarke

17th January Pin-Up

Great to be back! Here are some pictures of our pin-up. Students have 5 more days to go before their interim portfolio submission and seven days before submitting their Burning Man and Wikihouse proposals. Then we will move on to brief03: Temple. Very excited about the projects! Thank you very much to Nick Ierodiaconou and Alastair Parvin  creators of the Wikihouse from 00:/ Architects for their very insightful comments.

130117_Pin-Up_15Above: Dan Dodds and Phil Hurrell swinging on a “collaborative” harmonograph.

130117_Pin-Up_20Above: Michael Clarke showing his reciprocal Wikihouse in frontof Nick and Alastair

130117_Pin-Up_1Above: Jessica Beagelman‘s loops taking shape.

130117_Pin-Up_2Above: Our mad unit space, filled with large models done at Grymsdyke farm.

22nd October Cross-crit

Below are couple pictures of our first cross-crit yesterday. We would like to thank the critiques, Kester Rattenbury, Lawrence Lek, Andrei Martin, Daniel Piker, Jack Munro and Adam Holloway for their helpful comments. Great work, keep it up guys!

Above: Marilu Valente showing her potato starch elastic columns

Above: Andrei Jipa’s crystal formation and soap interference.

Above: Thanasis Korras’ plywood fractal.

End of Year Show and Final Crit

The academic year is over for DS10! Thank you everyone for the great enthusiasm that you have put in our unit and the wonderfully creative work which you have produced all year long. We are looking forward to learning more with you next year as well as pursuing our research agenda on a “post-crisis” society and a self-reliant, digitally and physically informed Architecture.

Below are couple pictures from our final crit and the end of year show. See you next year!

Thank you to the guest critiques: MAciej Woroniecki, Pavlos Ferreos, Magnus Larsson, Kester Rattenbury, Ioseb Andrazashvili, Niko Japaridze

Above: DS10’s exhibition space at OPEN2012 end of year Westminster Show. The vacuumed balloons installation is inspired by Emma Whitehead‘s work.

Above: DS10’s exhibition space at OPEN2012 end of year Westminster Show

Above: More DS10’s exhibition space

Above: Toby quite anxious that the balloon arch might fall or shrink…

Above: Michael is bringing some light to the small city of Rattenberg

Above: Jack Munro‘s presentation on the blood solidified sand dunes.

Above: Carly Mallon, presenting a new type of Prison.

Above: Anam Hasan and Maria Valente presenting their “Spun Architecture”

19th March – Interim Cross-Crit 3

Below are some pictures of our third “Cross-Crit”. Many thanks to our critics James McBennet, Co-Founder of FabsieGareth Wilkins, Director of Proctor and Matthews, David Andreen, Research Engineer and tutor at UCL – BartlettGordon Shrigley, tutor of DS14 at Westminster University.

Jack Munro’s Dune Village made from cow blood and Sand in the Egyptian Desert

Chris Ingram’s Modular Tech-Hub in London

Emma Whitehead’s balloon roof for the Frieze Art Fair

Jacob Alsop’s light cull cross model

Traditional After-Crit Kebab