Additional Wood Connections - Simpson

Going away from the very adaptive connections that were used in the DesigntoProduction projects in the previous post, the Simpson company is one of the leaders in metal connections between wood members. These connections are not able to adapt to different circumstances as easily and would most likely have to be manipulated in order fit different situations.

The first connector looked at is an CJT or Concealed Joist Tie. This is a metal connector that slides into a notch that is routed out of the end of one wood member in order to conceal the metal piece and offer what appears to be a seamless wood structure.


Simpson also offers a multitude of face mount hangers. They come in all different sizes however are limited to a 90 and 45 degree angle from the face. They also work mainly for members that are vertically oriented.

Exhibition Techtonics - Wood Connections

These are just a few examples of wood connections from the firm Designtoproduction. They utilize one standard connection piece for a series of differently angled pieces. Depending upon our capabilities with the router we have access to, this may be a good way to utilize a single connector type to join an infinite number of joints.

Detail Image of the Swissbau Pavilion designed by DesigntoProduction showing the butterfly joints used to attach all the differently mitered pieces.
Libeskind's Futuropolis was designed by Daniel Lideskind and realized by the DesigntoProduction firm. This installation uses similar joints to that of the Swissbau Pavilion. More detailed images of the connection can be seen at [http://www.designtoproduction.com]

Exhibit Analysis 2

"Some Assembly Required: Contemporary Prefabricated Houses"
Walker Art Center - 2006

As stated in the previous blog, the purpose of this exercise is to examine an exhibit space and analyze the successes and failures of the exhibit and eventually apply what is learned the the exhibit the arch 402 studio is going to construct at the Indiana Museum of Art. The exhibit space I am examining is the "Some Assembly Required" exhibit that was located at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. As talked about in the previous blog many different techniques were used to display and exhibit the material. One of the most effective means of display was the full scale exhibit.

A single room was built and installed into the gallery space at the Walker. The room displayed many of the interior and exterior materials and was able to be walked through and around. They allowed the viewer to experience the atmosphere and materiality of prefabricated houses first hand. The installation showed everything from wood panels to glass panels to operable windows. The idea of not only showing the information through scale models and 2-d images but with full scale mock ups is a very interesting and can make a huge impression on the overall exhibit.

Exhibit Analysis

"Some Assembly Required: Contemporary Prefabricated Houses"
Walker Art Center - 2006

This exhibit focused on eight prefabricated houses, most coming from young up and coming architects. The exhibit itself uses several different means of communication including scale models, floor plans, large images, assembly diagrams, interactive animations, videos of actual installations, full scale material samples, and even a sturdy walk through model. As you can see in the image above the images and drawings of all different sizes are attached to the wall using four strips. These strips help take many different sized images and unify them through four horizontal lines that run behind. So not only do these seamless strips wrap around corners but also creates a sense of unity for the groups of pictures and the exhibit as a whole.

The above image shows an example of the interactive displays used in the exhibit. Small monitors were used along with headphones to help bring another dimension to the exhibit. The use of headphones was very important to the exhibit because it allowed visitors to interact to another degree while still keeping a quite atmosphere within the exhibit itself. The small display monitors created a more intimate one on one feeling however allow only a few visitors at a time to view the display. Also, as you can see in the images above, the text that was displayed was done so in a very interesting way. The wall was painted light blue on one half and black text was applied on top of the blue wall.

More to come.. check back.

Reading Response

"Relations: Information Exchange in Designing and Making Architecture"
By Kevin Klinger

A response to the reading above:

In brief, the article discusses the connection between digital information technology and the architecture profession. Looking at both the current connection and also what the future might bring. The content of the reading was directly related to the beliefs and ideas of the Design to Production firm. They both discussed the connection between bringing complex geometries and forms into the world of architecture and the great need for the digital information to be able to break those geometries down into many simple forms, organize them, and eventually produce them. One of the main issues that I found most intriguing in the article was the idea of "consultation". This is an issue that many people tend to overlook or look past in the design process. The idea that many other professions and parameters factor in to the overall design and production of a building. Such things as the size of trucks available to move parts for the manufacturer to the site and the restrictions of size that a CNC mill can physically cut. These factors and others can then set the rules in which the master model breaks down the geometry in order to insure that the process runs smoothly from start to finish. Another important idea that was presented in the article was the current day disconnect between the architect, manufacturer and the builder. There are currently laws set in place in order to regulate the amount of discussion that can be had between an architect and manufacturer before a contract is signed. The article however argues that there is a great need with the push of digital technologies and manufacturing to not only allow architects and manufacturers to talk but to essentially collaborate on projects in order to create a more efficient process.

Barkow Leibinger - Frank Barkow

Recipe for "Trumfp Restaurant and Auditorium"
1. Decide number of sides for the polygon of the whole
2. Select two evenly separated points within that polygon
3. Connect the two points to the corners of the whole polygon
4. Fill created triangles with same number of sided polygons
5. Extrude polygons different depths
6. Allow some polygons to penetrate through the roof for daylight and ventilation

Design to Production - Fabian Scheurer

Recipe for “Camera Obscura”

1. Identify a Shape
2. Identify number of platforms and distance between platforms
3. Vertically connect platforms with straight members
4. Identify the size of the vertical members
5. Identify the spacing of the vertical members
6. Alter the angle in plan
7. Identify what angle to rotate
8. Identify which platforms to rotate
9. Alter the scale of the platform
10. Identify scale factor
11. Identify which platforms to scale