Department of Architecture REVIT: BEAUTY AND THE BIM (Arch 7614)

Semester 1, 2015

Revit: Beauty & the BIM

Assignment

Outline:

I’ll be exploring a range of possible structural options for an alternative “Green” Surf Board Core. Surfing is a sport that connects deeply with the environment, yet the surf boards we use are made almost entirely from fossil fuels. The surfboard core, or the “Blank” has traditionally been shaped out of polyurethane (PU) foam and then coated with polyester or epoxy resin, along with a layer of fibre glass. I’ll be focusing on creating a surfboard core that is made entirely from Cardboard and/ or sustainable timber that will be manufactured via CNC technology. This will provide surfers a “Green alternative” to the traditional PU foam blank.

I also want to open up the exclusivity of surfboard manufacturing to a potential DIY market. Why? Normally, if you want a surfboard then you’ll go to a surfboard shaper who will have years of experience of shaping surfboards by hand. This is because shaping foam is a craft, and attempting to shape a surfboard Blank DIY would almost certainly end in disaster. However, with a parametric model basically any surfboard shape that has ever been created will be able to be duplicated and new innovative designs could easily be created. Dunescape by SHoP Architects (my precedent study) sought to design a complex installation with simple instructions so that unskilled people could coordinate the assembly. Parametric surfboard modelling could potentially open up access to thousands of surfboard shapes that could be manufactured and assembled at home DIY. A parametric surfboard model could be accessed online, where consumers choose their desired surfboard design. The model is then manufactured via a CNC router and flat packed out to the consumer with simple assembly instructions.

Department of Architecture REVIT: BEAUTY AND THE BIM (Arch 7614)

Semester 1, 2015

Revit: Beauty & the BIM

Assignment

Aim:

The aim is to produce a digitally manufactured cardboard surfboard core that will outperform a Polyurethane surfboard core. Outperforming it means it should be lighter, stronger and cost less to manufacture. It will also simple to assemble like “Dunescape”. It should be rather straight forward to assemble with the instructions provided, and the instructions should be created automatically along with the computer generated model.

The aim is to develop not only a way of manufacturing a cardboard surfboard core, but to also develop a highly sophisticated digital model that provides information. This information will allow greater accuracy in design. The computer generated model will change when information is entered and it will also prove information back when the model changes. The parametric model will be able to calculate how much material will be used, how heavy it will be, how long it will take to cut out on the cnc router. The model will know how much volume the surfboard is. The model will have a number of inputs to get an initial shape including surfer’s weight, fitness level and age. The model will then be able to be tweaked until the desired shape is generated.

The surfboard still needs to be coated to make it water proof, and the fibre glass also adds much of the structure. I’m not looking to develop these systems within this project. However, the weight and thickness of the fibreglass and resin system can easily be calculated and factored into the overall weight of the surfboard.

Department of Architecture REVIT: BEAUTY AND THE BIM (Arch 7614)

Semester 1, 2015

Revit: Beauty & the BIM

AssignmentMethod:

The idea with Dunescape was that everything became one “Thickness” that is, when one element changes, then everything else reciprocates. In this way the surfboard model will work. As the surface is modified then the program and structure will change with it.

One surface will be created that is able to be modified with constraints. It will be modelled to the same dimensions as one of my surfboards so that when the cardboard blanks have been manufactured then there will be something to compare it against.

Three molecular structural systems will be chosen to investigate in regards to their suitability. These will be incorporated into the surface model and then all aspects will be compared. Weight, material usage, length of cut. This will give me a great amount of information about each structural possibility. However, testing strength of structure on the digital model is a foreign area to me at this stage. Learning how to test a model structurally will be a key component of this project. The model will need to respond to the structural forces that will be exerted by identifying weak points or limits.

The test models will then be manufactured with a CNC router, assembled and tested. At this stage one of the prototypes will be chosen to be developed further. I’m hoping that with the physical testing that the digital model will be able to be improved. With the improvements made to the digital model a final model will be produced. The assembly instructions should be automated by the digital model and assembly should be undertaken by someone other than me.

At the end of the project I’d like to coat the structure with fiberglass and resin and see how the surfboard performs compared to my existing surfboard.

Department of Architecture REVIT: BEAUTY AND THE BIM (Arch 7614)

Semester 1, 2015

Revit: Beauty & the BIM

Assignment

Predicted Outcomes:

I think that creating the initial digital models of the structural alternatives will give a good indication of the blanks suitability for manufacture, however I don’t think that the structural characteristics will be obvious until physical prototypes are actually made. Once these initial prototypes are made it will be clear which structure is going to suit the demands of a surfboard.

At this stage I don’t know how I will test the models structure digitally (hence the reason for initial prototypes) and I think that learning how to do this will be one of the most important lessons of the project. By learning how to test structure digitally it means physical prototyping can be minimised.

I think that creating a model that can be assembled by someone else will be achievable but in terms of the final product outperforming my current surfboard, I’m not so confident. If it floats and I can catch a wave I think it will be a great success.