Callipod
Callipod was constructed over one week in August 2014 by the Summer DLab Visiting School within the Hooke Park woodland. Sited in the Hooke Park woodland, the 4.4m wide pavilion is the outcome of an investigation which explored earth scaffolding, fabric formwork and concrete materiality.
Technical Details
“CALLIPOD is the outcome of an investigation which has explored earth scaffolding, fabric formwork, and concrete materiality. The means of exposing the structural behaviour of concrete across its fluid nature have formulated the starting point of the research agenda. Throughout the design explorations, the integration of structural and material properties of concrete with various architectural parameters, which are essential in generating diverse spatial qualities have remained a major focus. Being 2.1 meters tall and 4.4 meters wide, the pavilion has been realized within a period of one week.”
“The algorithmic setup for design explorations reflects the characteristics of self-organization which are observed across a range of scales in biological systems. Initially, real-time generative form-finding methods based on branching and bundling systems in nature have been developed and simulated in the open-source programming environment Processing. A key influence in working with branching systems has been the motivation to contextualize the design outcome in the natural environment of Hooke Park forest. The digital simulations present a progression from the analogue-optimized path experiments of Frei Otto, due to additional design constraints relating to gravity, UV mapping, and the ability to follow free form three-dimensional shapes.”
“The outcomes of this stage have then been evaluated via FEA analysis, in Scan&Solve for Rhino and Karamba for Grasshopper respectively. Various iterations in order to meet optimum structural results have been generated before finalizing the overall design. The final geometry has been marked on fabric via CNC router and then stitched together, thereby creating the fabric formwork for concrete casting. The scaffolding for the pavilion has been assembled from earth, which forms a second point of integration with the environment of Hooke Park. After the process of concrete casting within the fabric formwork, the earth scaffolding has been removed and reunited with the surroundings.”
“One of the main objectives of AA Summer DLAB 2014 is teaching the progressive interrelationship of different computational software that can enhance the architectural design. This workflow among software allows for geometrical assemblies that lead to their construction via digital fabricating machines. In 2014, this was achieved through the experimentation of various proposals during the 1st phase of the program. Each one of the proposals included an algorithmic process showing a logical approach in the design as well as a process of fabricating each concept at a certain scale. These initial trials, that were conceived based on the theoretical framework of emergence, differentiation, and complexity, contributed greatly in the realization of CALLIPOD’s structure during the second phase.”
Project Credits
Program Director: Alexandros Kallegias
Tutors: Alexandros Kallegias, Elif Erdine, Daghan Cam, Angel Fernando, Suzan Ucmaklioglu
Students: Adam Turczyn, Isabella Souza, Baraa Yakzan, Juan-Pablo Chinchilla, Lara Moreira, Elien Termote, Daria Kleymenicheva, Aiman Tabony, Mohanned Iskanderani, Weronika Krol, Xiaohong Ling, Sabine Hansmann, Fabian Scholz, Max Winter, Ignacio Carbo del Moral, Kevin Mazanek, Zelal Cinar