The final model is a surface created by one central contraction point in each unit. It is comprised of one studied curve that gradually flips its normal to demonstrate the cells behaviour across the surface. It was generated using a Grasshopper definition. This surface demonstrates one option within this system but other options are possible to explore as well.

Antiopi Koronaki
Samidha Kowli
Olga Kravchenko
Abhilasha Porwal

After understanding the principle of the movement in Mimosa Pudica at the cellular level, the principle was mimicked by creating a cellular mesh from a fibrous sheet material. Strips of equal size with slits created an interesting structure that allowed collapsing of the entire mesh due to contraction of the some cells.

The Mimosa Pudica movement is created by contraction and expansion of cells in a flexible cellular array. A similar effect was created with a square grid of rubber EVA foam. The movement of the square grid was limited due to the square cell geometry and slits were made to improve it. Ultimately, the square grid was replaced by hexagonal grid.

Antiopi Koronaki
Samidha Kowli
Olga Kravchenko
Abhilasha Porwal

These diagrams are tests exploring the number and the restraints to the system. Cells were contracted on both sides around it, causing the global shape to deform in different ways in both cases.

The digital tests revealed the different kinds of curves that could be produced, depending on the number and the position of the contraction points created.

Antiopi Koronaki
Samidha Kowli
Olga Kravchenko
Abhilasha Porwal

The final form is based on taking the surface that was established within the limits of possible curvatures and dividing it. The behaviour is different for upper and lower edge points, thus the division is different according to the location of the curve. The division points re-interpolated to new curves and create a develop-able surface. Each step of the surface generated one row of hexagonal grid. The single row is mapped on each of the surfaces that together generate the curves for extruding one contracted matrix.

Antiopi Koronaki
Samidha Kowli
Olga Kravchenko
Abhilasha Porwal

The aim of the research is toward a material system with a parametrically controllable double curvature system with a return ability. Motivated by the potential of a controllable pneumatic compression member, physical tests were ran to seek a complementary tension member surface that also had a parametric double curvature potential.

Surbhi Bansal
Georgios Bitsianis
Rebecca Bradley
Stanley Carroll

By abstracting the dynamic geometrical changing methodology of the spores elators, the design team developed a system utilizing a pneumatic energized compression element connected to a flexible tensile member to create a dynamically adjustable structural system. The team developed both a dynamically adjustable curved structural beam member as well as an adjustable structural surface demonstrating the possibility to achieve varying double curvature, both synclastic and anticlastic.

Surbhi Bansal
Georgios Bitsianis
Rebecca Bradley
Stanley Carroll

The aim was to explore the the potential applications of natural biological systems in developing architectural systems. Through the understanding of science, biology papers, and previous research in the field, effective principles and logic were extracted and explored through physical and computational analysis processes. Areas of exploration include structural aspects of variable stiffness, novel jointing strategies, and surface adaptability to investigate mathematics, geometric, material and hierarchical logics resulting in the performance of the complex systems.

Surbhi Bansal
Georgios Bitsianis
Rebecca Bradley
Stanley Carroll

4 mm rubber was chosen due to its ability to return to its original state. Because of rubbers ability to stretch variably in all directions the cut pattern was not entirely necessary, however within the pressure limits of our compression member the cut pattern was utilized to enhance the visual deformation achievable.

Surbhi Bansal
Georgios Bitsianis
Rebecca Bradley
Stanley Carroll

The main goal was to understand how, from the exposure of some materials to an external environment, their internal reactions shape their fibres and generate new geometrical conditions which can be controlled and provide new ways of applying the materials. The project was divided into two main parts:

1. Mimic the osmotic change of the cellular walls in the stylidium plant
2. Implement a component to be able to generate a curvature in the rest of the system by shrinking its shape.


Lei Zheng
Camille Saad
Balamurugan Rajakumar
Omar Quesada

As a basic principle, the team used spherical balloons with the objective of having control of desired curvatures by manipulating the quantity of air pressure inserted in each component of the system. There were three phases:

1. One of the layers was subject of air subtraction producing a concave curvature in the global system.
2. A variation of the local component was generated, using cylindrical balloons.
3. Generating the same system as in phase two but with a slight change the elements were attached only at specific points.

Lei Zheng
Camille Saad
Balamurugan Rajakumar
Omar Quesada

To derive a relationship between the bending of plywood strips and the heat shrink tape, experiments were done by varying the fibre direction of the plywood strips and the orientation of the heat shrink tape.

The initial regional geometry exploration started with taking advantage of the fibre direction to have maximum bending with less force. This orientation of the heat shrink tape is kept perpendicular to the direction of the fibre.

Lei Zheng
Camille Saad
Balamurugan Rajakumar
Omar Quesada

Knowing the efficient fibre direction and orientation for maximum bending of strips, the experiment continued on varying the lengths of the plywood strips. The tests were set up by attaching the heat shrink tape perpendicular to the fibre direction of the plywood.

Lei Zheng
Camille Saad
Balamurugan Rajakumar
Omar Quesada

Further analysis was done by arranging the shrink tape on both sides of the plywood plate. The bending angle of the plywood was found from both physical model experiments and digital analysis. The result shows the possibility of achieving double curvature using the shrink tape. The curvature is controlled by parameters such as bending material properties, thickness ratio, length ratio, and tape arrangement.

Curved surface with stress values (red - compression, blue - tension

Lei Zheng
Camille Saad
Balamurugan Rajakumar
Omar Quesada