T O P O L O G Y + T I M B E R is an outdoor classroom using advanced methods of timber construction. The Chicago Architectural Biennial 2021 theme, “The Available City”, looks at creating opportunities for conversation about the intersection of architecture and design addressing critical issues as health, sustainability, equity, and racial justice.
Our Studio's thesis project was a large scale collaboration between the studio, and SOM Chicago. Our aim for 2021's Chicago Biennial was to create an outdoor classroom for Ray Elementary School. Our research was focused on innovative methods of timber construction utilizing a computational approach to form and structure.
Level: M.Arch, 602 (Thesis Studio)Project Prompt: Outdoor Classroom, Parametric Timber Pavilion
Classification: Architecture, Fabrication, Computational Design, Graphics
Methods: Rhino, Grasshopper, C#, Unity, Quixel, VRay for Rhino, Illustrator, Photoshop, InDesign, Da Vinci Resolve, 3D Printing, Advanced Digital Fabrication, Wood Working, Metal Working, Sketching, Physical Modeling
Disclaimer: During the Summer of 2021, myself and two other students from the studio continued working on the project as Research Assistants employed at UMich. The work presented on this page was what we accomplished up until commencement. The final assembly may be viewed through the following link:
Link to Final Pavilion (SPLAM) developed during the Summer of 2021 and displayed in the 2021 Chicago Architecture Biennial: •https://chicagoarchitecturebiennial.org/engage/visit/venue/splam_timber_pavilion
•https://www.som.com/news/robotically_fabricated_timber_pavilion_explores_future_construction_methods_at_2021_chicago_architecture_biennial
This project was a studio-wide endeavor and was created in collaboration with:
•Hana Saifullah
•Nicolas Garcia
•Ho Kyung Lee
•Jeong Su Han
•Meghan Owens
•Xingyue Sun
•Alva Huang
•Hannah Kirkpatrick
•Charlotte Fuss
•Kaylee Tucker
Under the guidance of:•Professor Tsz Yan Ng (University of Michigan)
•Professor Wes McGee (University of Michigan)
•Ryan Culligan, Benton Johnson, Sydney Brown, Megan Mohney, Jonathan Baranowski, Rishabh Moorjani, Kyle Vansice, and Rahul Attraya (Skidmore, Owings, & Merrill)
The Chicago Architectural Biennial 2021 theme, “The Available City”, looks at creating opportunities for conversation about the intersection of architecture and design addressing critical issues as health, sustainability, equity, and racial justice.
Our Studio's thesis project was a large scale collaboration between the studio, and SOM Chicago. Our aim for 2021's Chicago Biennial was to create an outdoor classroom for Ray Elementary School. Our research was focused on innovative methods of timber construction utilizing a computational approach to form and structure.
To create an outdoor learning space for Ray Elementary, beyond providing a space to breath outside, it could be a place to connect with the community. We were adamant about working with a public elementary school on the South side of Chicago, where the student population is much more diverse, with over 50% of the students coming from an African American Background. (67% African American, 16% white, 8% Hispanic, 4% Asian, and 4% other) After the timber structure is completed, it will be showcased at the Chicago Architectural Biennial in the fall of 2021 and handed over to the school for their use.
The neighborhood in which Ray Elementary is located is on the South Side of Chicago, with students ranging from Pre-K to 8th grade. The school is located next to Ray Park, which they use for many of their outdoor activities and events. The site for the classroom is indicated by the red rectangle, along the path near one of the school gardens in the north side of the park. In the south portion of the park is a baseball diamond and playground. The park is not only used by the school but is also available to the larger Hyde Park community.
With considerations of efficiency and complexity, we looked at various wood construction examples. However, as we decided to work with the dimensional lumber, the reciprocal frame gained particular attention due to its rich opportunities to innovate.
Thus, we developed and constructed 6 different prototypes to study joinery in the reciprocal frame system. Each prototype focused on different conceptual aspects, which included:
•Node Studies
•Tapered Joints
•Mortise + Tenon Joinery
•Joint Tolerance
•Da Vinci Bridges
•Member Efficiency
•Double Layered Units
A reciprocal frame is a grillage structure performing with mutually supporting members without any structural hierarchy among them. A member is supporting and supported by other overlapping members, therefore it requires at least three member in a system. They are locked up with the self weight and gravity. When the load is applied it canaries out from the center to the outer edge of the each member and often the edges are supported by columns or ring beam.
For a inclined member in a reciprocal frame, the bottom part where it is supporting another member is in compression while the upper part, where it is supported by other member, is in tension.
In a reciprocal frame, many elements are related to each other. The angle of the inclined member determines the size of the inner node and the height of the system. In other words, if the angle of the member is stiffer the joints will be closer to each other and create a smaller inner node with a higher system. Also, the higher angle of the members is, the higher the shear forces are carried out to the outer end of each member. With these underlying understanding we moved to computational approach.
The means by which we are able to actively customize our reciprocal frame units was achieved through grasshopper in conjunction with rhino. As a preliminary study this definition provided us with the capacity to adjust, to a detailed degree:
• the size and rotation of the reciprocal frame unit
• number of members,
• the relative lengths, heights, and widths
• center node to member distance
• z-axis angle
Through the use of this definition we were able to actively explore the relationships between members in a reciprocal frame unit, allowing us to expand our explorations of reciprocal geometries and how they might come to inform our design moving forward.
Having established an understanding, overall logic, and methods for working with this structural system, we created a comprehensive parametric approach that combines the varying design criteria and would allow us to quickly iterate through the formal/structural studies.
