DigDesFab15 Pavilion
The "DigDesFab15" pavilion is research pavilion conceived and realized with Master in Architecture students as part of a course called “Digital Design and Fullscale Fabrication”, taught by Architect Andrei Gheorghe at the Institute of Architecture, University of Applied Arts in Vienna. While dealing with a specific research topic that explores the possibility of wood and polymer concrete constructions, the project aims to paraphrase the idea of a sheltered space, which at the same time does not satisfy the basic needs of a home (protection, sleeping, eating, living). It is conceived as an architectural opportunity to draw public attention towards the social problem of being without a home / homeland. The aim of the design is to raise consciousness about the implications of being homeless for the persons concerned and their perception in society. In order to achieve this, the design explores and evokes subjective feelings such as the lack of privacy and the missing of a protective interior, a certain ambiguity between inside and outside with varying degrees of exposure, the perception of a hostile environment leading to an aggressive contextual interface and a limitation of space without the provision of shelter functions to weather conditions.
Project Team
Andrei Gheorghe, Robert Vierlinger, Jiaxing Lu, Christian Schwarzwimmer, Sophie Gierlinger, Ceren Yönetim, Marko Margeta, Eva Blsakova, Carina Zabini, Anna Sergeeva, Saba Nabavi Tafreshi, Nasim Nabavi Tafreshi, Julia Karnaukhova, Miro Straka, Jiri Vitek, Mathias Bank Stigsen, Sophia Keivanlo, Johanna Jõekalda, Ioana Binica, Leah Park, Nicolas Gold, Cecilia Sannella, Agnese Trinchera, Sven Winkler, Florian Smutny, Ziwar al Nouri, Banafsheh Fahimipour, Bernd Seidl, Johannes Cziegler, Maria Korolova, Luca Beltrame, Niklas Knap, Fady Hadad, Katerina Joannides, Andrea Carniti, Afshin Koupaei, Atanas Zhelev, Roxy Rieder, Min Zhang, Dennis Schiaroli, Angelica Lorenzi, Johanna Jelinek, Mary Denman, Barbara Schickermüller, Roman Hajtmanek, Adam Sebestyen, Kaan Karabagli
Supporter
Institute of Architecture, University of Applied Arts Vienna „die Angewandte“, Bollinger+Grohmann Engineers, Loftcity Brotfabrik
Information
a.gheorghe@uni-ak.ac.at
www.2014.digdesfab.com
Images and Plans
Technical Description
The project examined the potential applications of polymer concrete and the production of wood/polymer concrete composite materials in large-scale architectural production. Polymer concrete was cast with laminated wood materials in order to create structural stiff nodes. The necessary formwork was developed from the node geometry, thus eliminating the operation of the formwork removal. Three layer spruce timber boards were CNC milled and were fixed temporarily with screws, then filled with polymer concrete and thus rigidly connected. The support system has been developed from the so-called Zollinger system, where small modules are prefabricated and joined to form a greater structure.The design was developed with the assistance of the software plugin Rhino Vault to develop a purely compressive load freeform shell and the parametricmodel in Rhinoceros and Grasshopper software, was tested virtually with various subdivision densities and node sizes. The overall structure was evaluated with the structural analysis tool Karamba, the different heights of the lamellas arising from the constructive analysis of stresses and deflections under vertical and horizontal loading.
The wood and polymer joining technique took inspiration from reciprocal frame structures in order to create a niche between the timber slats where polymer concrete could be used as an adhesive. All 122 nodes were cast separately and bolted on-site.Therefore, no supporting formwork was needed for construction. The cured composite node proves high structural capabilities, as polymer concrete withstands both pressure and tensile forces, and the bond between the materials is as strong as the wood itself.