VARIES

VARIES

0,15 m

INFINITY LOOPCHINENYE IDIKA ATTAWIT SOTYOM NHAN HAI TRAN KYUNG SEO PARK DYLAN POWELL

DIA, SS2010 CAD LOGIC: DIGITAL FABRICATIONS GROUP: OBIOMA

FLOOR PLAN

GAMES

FABRICATION

INFINITY LOOP

SECTION B-B

SECTION A-APANEL DETAIL

FABRICATION TEMPLATE

Scale: 1:50

Scale: 1:50

3,0

m 0,75 m avg.

4,0 m

Steel connector plates w/ plastic cap cover

Steel bolts, countersunk

Structural plywood panels Structural plywood panels

Plastic panel covering

Velcro attachment strips

Velcro attachment strips

Rubberized foam interior padding

4,0 m

15,0 m

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

Duck Duck Goose is a traditional children’s game from the United States. To play, a group of people, the “ducks”, sit in a circle, while another person, the “goose”, stands out-side of the circle. The Goose walks around the outside of the circle, tapping each person on the head, and for each tap may call out either “duck” or “goose.” Once “goose” has been called, the Goose must run all the way around the circle and take their place while the other person, the new Goose, attempts to catch them. If the original Goose is caught, the new Goose may return to their spot on the floor. If the original Goose is not caught, he/she may take the new Goose’s spot on the floor, and the game continues with the new Goose tapping the players’ heads again.

The Infinity Loop is a combination of 3 different childrens’ activities / games:

In order to break down the Infinity Loop into a set of discrete elements that would be small enough to fabricate, the entire surface geometry was panelized into a series triangular panels, as the triangle is the most efficient shape for connections in a curvilinear application. The panelized surface was then subdivid-ed 9 sections (based on the size of the sheet required for laser cutting), which were then unfolded into flat patterns digitally using the formZ software. These polygonal patterns were used as the base template for drawing the pattern to be cut on each of them manually in AutoCAD. After laser cutting each segment, the patterns were folded into the proper shape and re-assembled into the overall geometry.

In a real-life application rather than a model-making one, this technique would need to be re-adapted for fabricating each panel separately, rather than as a connected series of panels, as each panel has a unique shape and unique connections. Also it would be much easier to construct on a panel-to-panel basis, as the size of each panel would obviously be much smaller individually than with dozens of others attached to it. As additional structural support may be required to brace the Infinity Loop, steel rods could be connected to the exterior from existing structural systems above the ceiling and below the floor.

Our group selected Duck Duck Goose (American traditional game) and Engklek (Indonasian traditional game) as our two games to incorporate into our design. The games are played in two dimensions, but our group developed the way to play these games to three-dimensional way. Using the symbol of infinity, the space and the movement of people who use the space will always be within the boundry of the play-ground. This will prevent children from run away to different areas easier than designating specific bound-aries to stay within so that the parents can find their children easily.

The Infinity Loop itself is a structure that serves multiple purposes. It serves first and foremost as a kind of Jungle Gym, a structure that kids can climb on top of and play on. It also serves as a crawling space, giving those inside a more dramatic way of experiencing the space that they are in and the space around them as well. The geometry of the tunnel contracts and expands in various locations to respond to spa-tial height clearances and to articulate the entries. The shape of the Loop allows it to enclose three main separate activity areas, one for Duck Duck Goose, one for Engklek, and a general climbing and multi-pur-pose space. The vibrant color of the structure adds visual emphasis to an otherwise weightless-seeming geometry.

In such a project, safety is of paramount importance. In order to keep the children safe, our group came up with the idea to create a structure that encloses space while leaving the space within visible to the outside world. This not only allows for ease of finding one’s child when it is time to get on the plane, but it helps to enclose some of the noise from escaping the the outside environment as well, a critical notion in an airport where important announcements are often made over the speakers. Also, safe materials are employed, typical plastic that is found in most playgrounds covers the exterior climbing surface of the Infinity Loop, while the interior is covered in a rubberized foam composite to make for easy comfort while crawling. The walls and floor of the existing space will also be covered with the rubberized foam as well. Additionally, the gaps in the floor of the structure are filled in with plexiglas to preserve visibility inside while preventing arms or legs from accidentally falling through.

Engklek is a traditional children’s game from Indonesia that is a variation on the game of hopscotch. The players may only put one foot in each square that is drawn on the ground. To play, each player should have a small object called a gacok, which can be any small object (traditionally a piece of broken roof tile, also called a kraweng), which is placed in a random plot by tossing it. Players must then jump through the squares without touching the kraweng. If they succeed, they can choose one square as their own. The player who ends up with the most squares when all the squares have been taken wins.

A general climbing and free play area is also provided for use by the children. Due to the winding nature of the loop, it can be alternately climbed on, sat on, hung from, crawled through, etc., promoting a variety of activities within the space.

VARIES

VARIES

0,15 m

A

A

B

B