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Material Diversions V E N T U L E T T W O R K S H O P 2 0 2 1

MATERIAL DIVERSIONS is a space for experimentation. A space for Action Design where we connect our head with our hands and our hands with the materials that build architecture. It is through this intimate encounter that we can understand, learn and unlearn, maybe then innovate.

MATERIAL DIVERSIONS 2021 takes off-the-shelf materials and products and, through analyzing the material nature, production methodology and typical application of ready-made constructive units, tests alternative uses to the prescribed ones, builds structures and imagines spaces without the constraints of specific programs or sites. Through an iterative design process of making like sketching, students develop from experiments to prototypes, understanding the limitations of the materials and products they work with while exploiting their untapped possibilities.

The work you will find on this site is being developed by students of Georgia Institute of Technology during the spring of 2021 in the Material Diversions 2021 Workshop directed by Débora Mesa Molina, the Thomas W. Ventulett III Distinguished Chair in Architectural Design.

Wall Veil: A Terracotta Reuse Project by Song Zhang and Sam Amick

Sam is a second year student in the Georgia Tech School of Architecture. He is interested in the way that physical modeling can inform large scale design through a continuous feedback loop of making. He is using this project as a way to explore terracotta's second life and transformation into unexpected forms.

Song is a second year architecture student from Georgia Tech, who was born in Japan, grew up in China and currently studying in the US. He loves playing music, designing, and photographing. In this project, Sam and I collaborated with Lifecycle Building Center to design and build the project "Wall Veil" with recycled terra-cotta roof tiles.

Concrete Textiles by Caite Canfield

Initial Study with Clay

My source of inspiration comes from a piece of art I made years ago. Taking a solid piece of wood, a set of links (chainlink) was carved for my mom, one symbolizing me, and the other symbolizing my brother. The links did not break at a seam the way traditional chain-links are made, they were carved to remain as two solid pieces of wood simply interlocked and movable. Taking this idea and expanding on it further, the exploration can be expanded to consider other materials and test their tensional limits by engineering a more general formwork. For example, casting concrete into a “woven” or “linked” design would test the structural and tensional qualities of cement. Taking this small idea and thinking 1-1 scale, if a formwork could be generated large enough, the links could be cast to become a movable/lighter partition wall in an architecture.

This idea is best represented through the 3D printing of fabrics. The mechanisms, mathematics of the fabric, and the printing process itself, allowing the fabric to come to life and move as if it were cloth. The challenge that I want to take on is with materials that are “cast-able” and more brittle such that that the final product focuses and embodies the engineering of the fabrication and formwork process.

Four Part "Connector Link"

The semester has been devoted to developing and solving the "process." How can the molds be developed to allow for ease, increase production, and the least amount of waste.

Routing of the First Ring
Design Variations

The overall design is inspired by new technology used to 3D print fabrics and the personal jewelry experience while working at Tiffany & Co in NYC. Engineering a "cast-able" fabric/chainlink could generate new technologies and modes of jewelry making, sculpture, and architectural elements.

Concrete Studies: Settlement of fine particles and roughness of coarse particles
Completed First Link

Caite is a second year student in the GT M.Arch 3.5 year program. After completed a double major in Studio Art and Applied Mathematics for her Bachelors degree, she found her calling for Architecture and remains interested in how Art and Math can come together in beautiful and sophisticated ways.

Rebar Revival by Annie/ Yining Chen

The rapid advancement of urbanization and dramatic rise of urban population lead to drastic increment of the output of municipal solid waste. Nowadays, the waste of China has exceeded 250 million tons, with an average annual compound growth rate of 2.1%. Therefore these garbage are exigencies to be treated quickly and effectively in order to prevent the garbage siege phenomenon, and serious air, water and soil pollution. As a representative of the industry, the company dedicates to reuse all the accessible sources to protect the urban environment.

Metal wastes were piled up in the factory, I was attracted by the shiny ductile aluminum foil, and on the other hand, the huge stiff rebar piece. These two materials were opposite to each other. The aluminum foil could be deformed into any desired shape; whereas rebar coulld be made into some kind of sturdy structure by hinging and welding.

This collaborative project with Shanghai Liming Resources Recovery Co. Ltd, focuses on recycling methods of constructive and domestic waste in Shanghai. Eventually, with the research data and documentaries of the research process, these dumped materials are reformed and reconstructed into an interesting lab for future experimentation on reproducing fertilizer from the residue of incinerated domestic waste.

Material- Rebar Meshes
The initial plan starts with larger pieces, the rebar pieces are cut into larger pieces and get assembled.
Rebars waste, diameter: 14mm
Configuration experimentation with card board
Configuration exploration from the card board models.
The breakdown of the individual facades, two facades are chosen. The larger piece is horizontally divided by 10 and vertically divided by 5, the smaller piece is divided by 5 both horizontally and vertically.
3 types of Acrylic panels are assigned to the blank grids: 1. Blue-clear 2. Blue-opaque 3. Orange-clear
Rebar mesh, squeezed 30 degrees
Rebar mesh, squeezed 20 degrees
Rebar mesh, original
Photo Collages from the client (Office Director of Liming Resources)
Sculptural Pergola with prototype chairs/shelves B & C
Sculptural Pergola with prototype chairs/shelves B & C

Annie/Yining Chen is a student in the Master of Architecture program at Georgia Tech. Now she is taking the course remotely from Shanghai, China. With a background of studio art, she looks forward to studying shapes and forms in architecture through making a variety of visual arts and exploring aestherical possibilities of the wasted materials.

(RIPPLE) by Luke Davis

Objective: Permeable fiberglass modular wall screen system.

Material test - Fiberglass panel

This project explores the structural and modular construction of an experimental kind of "brick" composed of fiberglass and/or recycled plastics. Focusing primarily on a proposed undulating and repeatable facade system that can be either stacked or hung.

The bricks consist of two identical curved panels that are joined at the ends. The curved form adds structural strength and gives the adjacent bricks the ability to fit snugly into the negative space produced by the curved profile.

A mechanical "mortar" is weaved through the brick system, connecting the components using a vertical tension cable, running through the joints.

Assembly diagram
Connection prototype
Mold fabrication process
ABS Prototype Panel
ABS Vacuum formed prototype with 3D printed joints
Fiberglass Panel - Typical Resin
Prototype Combination
3 component stack

Luke is part of the Master of Architecture program at the Georgia Institute of Technology. Previously completing a Bachelor's degree in architecture from the University of Florida, he desires to carry this knowledge with him towards licensure and a career in architecture, design and research.

Rubble to Renewal by Katelyn Dimopoulos and Anna Rogers

Katelyn and Anna are focusing on the reclamation of post disaster debris for usable construction material. The most common type of debris are Construction and Demolition (C&D) materials, therefore, they explored the possibilities of various C&D types. They provided background research as to how post disaster debris is processed, explored the material properties of concrete and tree debris, and created a easy to construct wall system that uses construction debris as its main component.

A collection of tree & concrete rubble from Atlanta
Concrete Debris Catalog
Tree Branch Debris Catalog
  1. We first researched what materials make up post-disaster rubble and acquired samples from local recycling centers.
  2. Next, we experimented with hand models and form to understand how rubble could be implemented into an architectural setting.
  3. We then prototyped full scale wall sections, to understand how concrete and tree branch debris could be used to create a new structure.
  4. Our final solution is an easy to make, light weight frame that can be infilled with disaster debris or all shapes and sizes.
Prototype 1: Triangle Wedge
Prototype 2: Triangle Gabion
Prototype 3: Diamond Lattice
Structural System Prototype designs
Final Wall Design Prototype

Anna is a Master of Architecture student who is passionate about reuse and recycling. Prior to graduate school, Anna was a neuroscience researcher for seven years. As a former scientist, she enjoys research, learning-by-doing, and hands-on ideation--all of which were necessary for this course!

Katelyn is a Master of Architecture student with a background in engineering. She is passionate about how design can benefit people and the environment. Growing up in the Canadian Rocky Mountains, she has a deep appreciation for nature and working to fight climate change. This class gave her the opportunity to explore her interest in diverting construction waste from the landfill and find ways to make construction more sustainable.

Primitive Blobs by Rich Fridy

Primitive Blobs proposes an inhabitable blob of expanded polyurethane foam that can be formed into any existing/abandoned building. The construction process involves the inflation of pneumatic formwork and is able to be completed singlehandedly, inexpensively, and quickly. The project references a wide variety of precedents, including pneumatic structures, temporary architecture, large-scale art, architectural pavilions, and bounce houses. View the research document below to see a survey of pneumatic devices in architecture, an exploration into expanded polyurethane foam and its potential as an amorphous construction material, and future plans for the implementation of this project in a warehouse space in Atlanta.

VIDEO 1 — Compilation of Experiments

VIDEO 2 — Material Application Ideas

VIDEO 3 — Step-by-Step Guide to Producing the Project in a Warehouse

Rich is a Master of Architecture student originally from Florida. Prior to graduate school, he was an architectural designer for humanitarian organizations in Montana, USA and Battambang, Cambodia. He is dedicated to an interdisciplinary and hands-on approach to designing, and is interested in the transformative potential of architecture across cultures and scales.

Paper Pulp structures by Anthony Iacobucci

Paper Pulp is a flexible material that can be used in many ways. This project focuses on ways to use and manipulate paper pulp to make lightweight and eco-friendly designs. The goal is to test the limits of paper pulp and how different variables affect the structure and uses of paper pulp.

This pavilion was made using a sheet of homemade paper pulp
Use of a bowl to give form to the paper pulp
Paper pulp was put into forms to turn into blocks
Paper pulp was used to encapsulate an aluminum frame

Test for making structure that can support other weight

paper-crete

Test for different mixes of pulp and cement

Bricks made of pulp

Design using bricks of pulp

Videos of process

Anthony is an undergraduate student in Georgia Institute of Technology's architecture program. He loves making models and learning through the trial-and-error process. He is interested in experimenting with recycled and sustainable materials.

Bottles of Life by Sean Li

In the heat of a world tackling pollution of our oceans, how can we plasticize a physical gesture to a non-biodegradable past? Bottles of life dives into re-purposing plastic waste to mold a simple yet beautiful means of reimagining our common day-to day waste.

Sean is currently a 3rd year undergraduate architecture student at Georgia Tech. Growing up between New York and Hong Kong, he has always had a growing interest of how architecture can play different roles in the rich fabric of the built environment. He is excited in how this course may act as a interesting medium to explore new ways in which to mold that fabric.

TUBEniture by Shiyun Lin

Cardboard is an environmentally friendly packaging material that consists of recyclable materials, and Cardboard Tubes are commonly used in our daily lives. This project focuses on developing different stacking strategies, creating various forms of furniture in other dimensions, and finally creating shelves, holders, pet toys, shading panels, chairs, tables, walls, etc. It could then offer people different options and encourage them to build their own TUBEniture in the future life.

Shiyun is a first-year student in the Master of Architecture program. After studying architecture in her Bachelor's time in China, she grew a great interest in cardboard tubes. She wanted to discover the possibilities and creativities in applying cardboard tubes in the furniture field.

Many people have contributed to making this project possible providing knowledge, resources and much more.

Our special thanks to: Thomas W. Ventulett for funding this Workshop, Jake Tompkins and the Digital Fabrication Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology for their constant support and knowledge; the Life Cycle Center and Metro Green in Atlanta for donating their rubble; Shanghai Liming Resources Recovery -and its director RenQing Song-, and Shanghai Jiading Jiaxi West Fan Co., Ltd. -and its director Jian Zhu- for their partnership and generosity; and all of you who shared your ideas and materials individually contributing to this collective effort!

Created By
Debora Mesa Molina
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