Supersurfaces - !ding as a method of generating forms for architecture, products and fashion

Sophia Vyzoviti

For all partners in this collective work~in-progress

BIS Publ ishers Het Sieraad Building Postjesweg 1 1057 DT Amsterdam The Nether lands T +31 (0)20 515 0230 F +31 (0)20 515 0239 bis@bispublishers. nl www. bispublishers. n I

ISBN 978 90 6369 121 9

Copyright© 2006 The authors and BIS Publishers 2nd print ing 2006 3rd printing 2007 4rd printing 2008 5th printing 2009

All right s reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduce d or transm itted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanica l, inc luding photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner(s) .

BISPUBLISHERS

contents

Acknowledgement_5

From paperfolds to object~s pace prototypes_6

Ruling

elastic paper band_12

lanternette_16

twister_ 2o

porou s screen_3o

f lexicha ir_ 40

body wraps_ 5o

body donuts_58

multigarment_66

.meander chaise_74

curver_82

Triangu lating

contract ib le roof_86

k inetic truss_96

future machine_104

Crumpling

creased tent_112

crumpled room_120

cave_126

- ambience maker_130

paper crumpler_136

Colophon_142

acknowledgement Supersurfaces demonstrates the potential of folding as a method of generating forms relevant to archi­tectural as well as industrial , product or textile design. The book comprises a report of ongoing design research conducted in the context of architec­tural education. The majority of this collection of projects is drawn from design studios and work­shops that I have instructed between 2005 and 2006 at three academic institutions.

For enabling me to embed this research within the academic curriculum I am grateful to Professor Pantelis Lazarides, Head of the Department of Architecture , School of Engineering at the University of Thessaly in Volos; Professor Chye Kiang Heng, Head of the Department of Architecture, School of Design and Environment at the National University of Singapore; and Professor Tom Barker, Head of the Department of Industrial Design Engineering of the Royal College of Art in London.

For their support and contributions during the production of this publication I would like to thank Constantine Galanopoulos, Thanasis Totsikas, Yota Adilenidou, Constantine Kyriazopoulos, Zoe Vatti and Lim Jiahui. For priceless advice on the English texts I am indebted to David Greensett Robson.

5

6

From paperfolds to object-space prototypes

Since the early 1990s, the notion of surface has evolved into a formal trait in avant-garde architectural discourses. Conceptualized within the Deleuzian ontology of 'the fold' , it has become associated with diagrammatic techniques and digital morphogenesis, prolifically materializing in the pro­jected and the built through continuity, curvature, smooth layering and manipulations of the ground .1 In the semantic network of present progressive architectural language , the verbs 'folding ' and 'unfolding' manifest high conceptual con­nectivity. Browsing through the dictionary of advanced archi­tecture2 reveals the ubiquity of the terms , making explicit the establishment of a design world constituted by notions of surface , folding and unfolding, topology, land strategy, dynamic trajectories , flexibility, obliquity, systems, devices, paradoxes, origami , bends and unbendings, braids, coiling, and contortionisms.

The design research in Supersurfaces explores the potential of paper folding as a method of form generation, conscious­ly attending to literal transcripts of the practice. As a matter of fact, the term 'paperfold ' is a neologism; a synthetic word introduced here to describe the end result of a paper­folding session . In Supersurfaces , paperfolds are investigat­ed as physical artifacts: how they are made, how we can model them , what their intrinsic properties are, and how they can be productive within a design methodology.

Paperfolds are easy to make . In the paper-folding work­shops given at the design studios - whose results comprise

:::the contents of this publication -we adopt a 'just ==;:; i ' approach. We follow a step-by-step procedure

:.=5 -g simple rules. The basic paperfold algorithm -= s :he fol lowing: =--=-:: ;ith a flat paper surface -=-s-=orm the paper surface [cut, score, crease, fold , ~ --: ·olve, co il , turn, rotate, pleat, pull , push, wrap,

: _o; , ninge , knot, weave, compress, stretch, unfold .... ] · a three-dimensional paper surface .

- _ = a e only two constraints in accomplishing the paper­:: ~ gorithm ; maintaining continuity of the surface , and = ·mout sticking. As a consequence, paperfolds have

~ --:enti a! of retrieving a 'flat-plane state' - comprising in =:_-s"'latical terms 'developable surfaces ' .3

_s-' ds are difficult to model . Describing paperfolds - cally, abstracting and representing their intrinsic

_-::-alogy to a level of generalization, would essentially __ ""E mathematical formalization. In Supersurfaces, _c-a·ory models of paperfolds demonstrate the step-by­-:: :;'ocedure of transforming a flat plane into a three-

:;.-.s·onal surface; in other words , through algorithms. 4

- =--s· - an describing the formal characteristics of the end - :.. me focus is on the process , on understanding the ~ <n d evol ution of the artifact.

--=~-·ng the paperfold algorithm is an improvisational ~:;:; that has proven to be fundamentally sound in the ~ _ of des ign education. The language of paperfold == ~ ms is not formal; it is a combination of geometry, _2:: ral instructions, 'how to' and visual narratives .

':' _ - g back' the paperfold algorithm is essential in under­-=-:: g surface transformations . The primary objectives

=c =-. prehension and the specification of chains of opera-5.:. at are executed in ordered sequences leading to the

8

three-dimensional object. Unfolding back to the flat plane reveals the object's generative pattern. A sufficient descrip­tion of a paperfold, its basic model, includes a flat-state pattern and an algorithm of transformative operations.

Paperfolds are protean: variable, mutable, adjustable , fluctu­ating; one paperfold is potentially several. When reconfigu r­ing the order in the chain of surface transformations of the generative algorithm, one flat-state pattern may generate a family of paperfolds , producing a category of objects which share a number of intrinsic properties and which are similar but not identica l. The combinatorial possibilities of a plate with 5 slits and 5 strips, if each strip can pierce through one slit, rotated either clockwise or counter-clockwise amounts to (5x5x2) 50 paperfolds. One ruled strip [rule-cut] with continuous boundaries has the potential of becoming an annulus [rotate ], a torus [rotate-revolve] , a mobius [twist 90°-merge edges), a spira l [coil) or a helix [twist 360°]. A plate scored in a triangular grid achieves variable relief through alternating convex and concave creases.

Categorization is an essential characteristic of design knowledge. In Supersurfaces , a taxonomy of paperfolds is constructed on the basis of sufficient description : flat-state patterns and algorithms. In this conceptual scheme, three general categories are distinguished: 'ruling' , 'triangulating ' and 'crumpling'.

The category of 'ruling 's primari ly includes flat-state patterns of strips ruled and cut in arrays of lines that are parallel or perpendicular to their edges , as we ll as meanders and alternating rows . Ruling the flat plate adds elasticity to paperfolds and facilitates operations that result in curva­ture, enabling steeper torsion than wou ld be unach ievable with a non-perforated paper surface.

_ :riangu lating' category includes f lat-state patterns of -"?_ - of equilateral or isosceles triangles. Here , three-

- :; siona lity is achieved by creasing along the triangle '?- ::es with alternating concave and convex creases, trans­

g the flat plane into a double-corrugated surface. -e.-g lated paperfolds share the property of inextensional _ : -g - that is , they can be packaged flat. According to

- = s~ ino and Vincent, 6 ' inextensional folding requires that s-e er different creases meet at a common point there

be at least four folds, of which three have one sign .ex or concave) and one fold has the opposite sign

e or convex) .'

--= ::a egory of 'crumpling' includes flat-state patterns of --=-::om crease lines and irregular facets. Crumpling is a :~re of minimum effort;maximum three-dimensional =-:::-:::. expli cated here by the operations: crease , press and

=~:e -olds are manipulable: bendable, flexible, versatile and =-==:Aable. Some are able to deploy themselves, expanding --: ontracting. Some achieve a number of equilibrium - - "" upon a plane, balancing in different positions. Some = -. e several shapes, adjusting to their context. The ver­:;c 3 and polymorphic nature of paperfolds increases their _:-.=- ial to generate design prototypes . The investigation of c_:: :o make paperfolds productive with in a hands-on and

__ "'Ss-driven design methodology of form generation is :_:J ed with explorations into material behavior and usabili-

- ,oerfold algorithms can be executed on alternative --~ce materials: foam, rubber, pvc, polypropylene, poly-=-= e e, re-enforced fabrics, gypsum band, mesh , leather, -:::::er. alu minum or plywood. Scaling up paper into larger,

:- er. stiffer and waterproof surfaces instigates inventive ses in terms of size , usage , texture and structure.

9

10

Transcribing the intrinsic properties of paperfolds into the development of prototypes enables improvisations with a wide range of applicability. Oscillating between the micro and the macro scale, supersurfaces engage a design field that is a fusion between architecture, interior, product and fashion. Overall , the design prototypes presented in Supersurfaces correspond to Mollerup's definition of the 'collapsible ', an umbrella term he invented for a number of everyday objects that 'fo ld out for action and fold up for storage ''. The series of possi ble applications presented here includes playthings, ornaments, garments, furniture , furnishings , and architectura l components . Partially resolved, potentially implementable, these emergent proto­types maintain their diagrammatic quality. They abstain from the exactitude of technical drawing, indulging into the affini­ty of directed indeterminacy.

Whi le not bound by a linear form of logic, the development of paperfolds into potential objects and spaces is practiced methodically: intuitive paper-folding session, sufficient description of generative pattern and algorithm, family of objects , comprehension of intrinsic properties and transcrip­tion of those properties towa rds a prototype within a fusion design field. As a design method , supersurfaces is agnos­tic, experimental, improvisational and liberating, and is fun­damentally a diagrammatic technique .8 As a counterpart to present-day overrid ing research into the 'genetics of form' through computer-aided design and manufacturing, super­surfaces can be appreciated as a ' low tech-high concept' 9

approach -a radicaljretro practice: hands-on, process­driven design methodology. Despite its analogue constitu­tion, supersurfaces is an intelligent design method, engag­ing basic-level computation , relying essentially on brainware (and handware) rather than software.

references 1 See also: Vyzoviti, S., Folding Architecture- Concise Genealogy of the Practice in Folding Architecture: Spatial, structural and organizational diagrams (Amsterdam, BIS Publishers, 2003)

2 Re lationships between the notions of surface, folding, unfo lding, topology, land strategy, systems and devices, as well as paradoxes, origami, bends and unbendings, braids , coiling, contortionisms are elucidated in Gauza M. et al, The Meta polis dictionary of advanced architecture (Barcelona, Actar, 2003).

3 Developable surfaces are surfaces that can be flattened to a plane without tearing or stretching; examples include the cylinder, the cone, and the torus . See http:/ ;en.wikipedia .orgjwikijSurface

4 This is a basic level definition of algorithm : A finite set of well-defined rules for the solution of a problem in a f inite number of steps. An algorithm (the word is derived from the name of the Persian mathematician AI-Khwarizmi), is a fi nite set of well-defined instructions for accomplishing some task which, given an in itial state, will term inate in a corresponding recognizable end-state contrast with heuristic) . See http:/ ; en .wikipedia.orgjwikijAigorithm

5 Th e category is named by analogy to the 'ruled surface'. In geometry, a surface S is ruled if through every point of S there is a straight line that lies on S. See http:/ ;en.wikipedia.orgjwikijRuled_surface

6 Pe llegrino, S. and Vincent, J. , 'How to fold a membrane' in Deployable Structures, ed. Pelligrino, S. (SpringerWienNewYork, 2001)

- Mol lerup, P., Collapsibles: a design album of space saving objects . (London, n ames and Hudson, 2001)

8 Th e prime advantages of the diagrammatic technique, according to Van 3erkel and Boss, is liberation from architectural typology and the introduction c' ·qualities that are disconnected from an ideal or an ideology, random, intu­- · e and subjective'. Van Berkel and Boss, in Move: Techniques: network spin -'\msterdam, Goose Press, 1999)

9 By ana logy to Stan Allen's 'low-definition , high-concept' versus the 'high­=s'init ion , low-concept' in Allen, S., 'The Digital Complex' in Log, volume 5

11

0 0

/

30 31

54

paper

----

torus [annulus revolved clockwise]

60

·~ ~- · .. I --.. 1

~! l

I ' ~

1--...:-l

·==1 - ~

==----~

!-__'·

,I -:l :.... _', ----1 ----;---o-.rl

~-~1 ~·~ -.----, i----,-1

e _·_ [

L- -- L

1~1 I

-..:::.::.~ J~_l

annulus [rule-cut-coil]

I~ 7~--'--- ' 1-~1 ~) ,1 -

L--~ ~ -. -~ ~I ~ ~I

- L - , ----r ·~,

- I --r

torus [annulus revolved counterclockwise]

'- ·

61

\

~--:

62 .. ,•

~~--~~--~~

r rule-cut-wraR;:fix]

• ••

\

12. kinetic truss

96

... . "' . ..

·-~

./

I

.. .. ..... .. ... . ~

• * ......... .

. ;. :.7~ ~.

~ .. ~.-:- : ~ ... . :.

-. ·:·:.: ~- :

If ~\! r~-,<:::,'0

- - --1 \

~ ) \ /,-' / ' \ /

'\ / <. \

':;( '

colophon Text by: Sophia Vyzoviti Design by: Sophia Vyzoviti , Constantine Galanopoulos Photography: Sophia Vyzoviti and the students

Project credits: elastic paper band: Stephanie Chen , 2005

Fold it! Workshop, Industria l Design Engineering, Royal College of Art, UK

lanternette: Sophia Vyzoviti , 2005 twister: Fani Vambula, 2005

Folding Architecture Elective , Department of Archi tecture, Univer::­of Thessaly, GR

porous screen: Haritini Stavroula, 2006 Supersurfaces Design Studio , Department of Architectu re , University of Thessaly, GR

flexichair: Manolis lliopoulos 2005, Folding Architecture Elective, Department of Architecture, Univer::­of Thessaly, GR

body wraps: Konstandia Manthou, 2005 Folding Architecture Elective, Department of Architecture, Univers­of Thessaly, GR

body donuts: Sapho Makri, 2005 Folding Architecture Elective, Department of Architecture, Univers­of Thessaly, GR

multigarment: Sapho Makri, 2006 Supersurfaces Design Studio, Department of Architecture, University of Thessaly, GR

meander chaise: Virginia Sotiraki, 2006 Supersurfaces Design Studio , Department of Architecture, University of Thessaly, GR

-

curver: Zhao Qian, 2006 Supersurfaces Elective , Department of Architecture ~chool of Design and Environment, National Univer~ity of ) lngapore, SG

contractible roof: Sophia Vyzoviti 2005 ~tudy commissioned by Hellenic Democracy, rovmce of Macedonia and Thrace, Municipality of Philipoi

kmet1c truss: Georgia Klonizaki & Dina Nikola idou 2005 Jiploma Thesis, Department of Architecture ' ; ristotle University of Thessaloniki , GR ' ;upervisors: Sophia Vyzoviti, Spyros Papadimitriou, Lois )apadopoulos

future machine : Vyzoviti Sophia 2005 creased tent: Ina Theodoru 2005

:olding Architecture Elective, Department of Architecture - niversity of Thessaly, GR '

crumpled room: Vasa Tzima 2005 Supersurfaces Design Studio, Department of Architecture _niversity of Thessaly, GR '

cave: Andreas Halaris 2005 :aiding Architecture Elective, Department of Architecture - niversity of Thessaly, GR '

ambience maker: Maria Kourti 2005 :olding Architecture Elective, Department of Architecture _niversity of Thessaly, GR '

paper crumpler: Gregory Epps 2005 ~o ld it! Workshop, Industrial Design Engineering, -oyal College of Art, UK

Folding Architecture I spatia l, structural and organizational diagrams

Supersurfaces is the sequel to Folding Architecture, which has subsequently been reprinted five times. This very successful publication gives insight into the possibilities of the technique along with the results of research conducted by the architectural faculty of the TU in Delft since 2001. The technique of fold ing in contemporary architecture is vividly illustrated through a survey o• bespoke concepts, projects and buildings in which this technique was applied. Compulsory for every architect wishing to design outside the mainstream.

Author: Sophia Vyzoviti

7th print now available.