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(Un)fitting Aggregations

Material-dependent Production and Spielraum of Distinct Vulcanized Fiber Pieces

 


Allner, Lukas, Karolin Schmidbaur, and Gonzalo Vaíllo. In ACADIA 2024: Design Change, 1:81–92. Calgary: Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture, 2024.

 

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This study explores the integration of unpredictable material behavior within architectural design and production, specifically examining the properties and potential of vulcanized fiber (VF) in the multiple realizations of the simple design of a 3 x 3 checkered pattern. It challenges traditional production methodologies—standardized mass production, digital mass customization, and discrete combinatorial approach—by introducing the notion of material-dependent production. This approach is exemplified by the distinctive morphological and mechanical transformations that VF undergoes during the drying production process, leading to each piece uniquely shaping itself. The divergence between the initial design of the pattern and the singular resulting pieces leads to an array of different and unexpected aggregation possibilities to construct the pattern. The highly local and situated pattern-part relation and its variability for diverse outcomes are conceptualized following Lars Spuybroek’s notion of Spielraum or “room to play.” This concept, understood as both physical space and space of possibilities, is defined by the material agency embedded in the pieces and the organizational guidance of the pattern. Methodologically, computational analysis is employed to calculate the number of feasible pattern realizations attending to the assembly tolerances of the morphological diversity of the VF pieces. In this sense, the study bridges computational techniques and material specificity to understand the threshold (or Spielraum) between the designed pattern and material-informed parts. The findings of this study advocate for a reevaluation of material agency in architectural processes, demonstrating that an embrace of material contingency and indeterminacy enriches architectural production and creativity.

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