ArchShowcase Sumit Singhal
Sumit Singhal loves modern architecture. He comes from a family of builders who have built more than 20 projects in the last ten years near Delhi in India. He has recently started writing about the architectural projects that catch his imagination. GREEN VOID in Sydney, Australia by Laboratory for Visionary ArchitectureMarch 27th, 2011 by Sumit Singhal
GREEN VOID SYDNEY A digital design, derived from nature, realized in lightweight fabric, using the latest digital fabrication and engineering techniques, creating more with less. 3,000 cubic meters of space are connected with a minimal surface of 300 square meters and only 40 kilograms of material…
Digital Workflow The project renounces on the application of a structure in the traditional sense. Instead, the space is filled with a 3-dimensional lightweight-sculpture, solely based on minimal surface tension, freely stretching between wall and ceiling and floor. The design and fabrication procedure uses state-of-the-art digital workflow; beginning with 3D computer modeling, that is engineered structurally before undergoing a process of computer controlled (CNC) material cutting and mechanical re-seaming. The computer-model feeds directly into a production-line of sail-making-software and digital manufacturing. The product shows a new way of digital workflow, enabling the generation of space out of a lightweight material that requires minimal adjustments onsite to achieve a complete installation in an extremely short time. Sustainability The process of optimized minimal surface design and CNC (computer numeric code) fabrication technology allows the sculpture to reveal a new dimension in sustainable design practice. Fulfilling the sustainable agenda of the venue, the work succeeds in its quest for optimum efficiency in material usage, construction weight, fabrication and installation time, while at the same time achieving maximum visual impact in the large atrium space. The pavilion is easily transportable to any place in the world; can be quickly installed, and is fully reusable. Fabrication The sculpture materials consist of a double stretch, 2 way woven fabric that is mechanically attached to specially designed aluminum track profiles. Each profile is suspended from above, and to the side, on 2mm stainless steel cabling. The green void is the result of a continuous research process over several years that led to projects like, the MOET marquee, the Entry Paradise Pavilion and the MTV music Awards 2009. Starting with the “analog” minimal surfaces of Frei Otto the green void takes research in lightweight structure into the digital age. Contact Laboratory for Visionary Architecture
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