Connecting the Dots

The power of doodling, starting with a parabola.

3D Printing

The Birmingham office paid a visit to Black Country Atelier to check out their modelling studios. They have extruded plastic 3d printers and laser cutters.

My first print was a lofted surface (forming the initials MD!) modelled in Rhino. Total time from modelling to finished produce was approximately 30 minutes.

The plastic is tough and comes in any colour/translucency. We'll be looking at using the laser cutter for a modelling exercise soon. It's a great resource to have on our doorstep!

Pictograms

A free set of internationally recognised pictograms, for when words fail you.

http://www.aiga.org/symbol-signs/

Also check out: http://thenounproject.com/

Retail Architecture Blog

Here's a good blog on Retail architecture (and it's not just Prada flagship stores). Starting with this post, it makes you aware of the some of the key principles of store design and, as usual, they're there to be challanged!

http://inspiredesignblog.co.uk/2009/09/29/retail-design-principles/

Structural Lessons from 'A Box Of Bubbles'

Box of Bubble Itunes U Lecture

An interesting insight into the Watercube in Beijing, a building often overshadowed by the Bird's Nest Stadium, and some other unusual structures. It's an hour long, so if you're short on time I've included a brief summary below!

• Tensegrity Bridge, or the impression of.
  Blending large and small cable-stayed structures to form overlaps and redundancy.
  Changing the angle of the uprights by up 30°, as there is little loss in efficiency up to this point. (7:00 - 10:00)

• 'Smearing' structure into three dimensions.
  Rather than individual trusses requiring structure top and bottom to make them stable, a blending of the units produces a sweeping structure. essentially the overall depth is the same, but the forces are spread in all directions, reducing the amount of material needed and creating a more efficient structure. (14:00 - 17:00)

• Combining the columns and cross bracing.
  ( 19:40 - 22:00 )

• Structural Concept for the Watercube
  A regular structure based on the most efficient subdivision of 3d space (The Kelvin Problem) (34:00 - 38:00)

•  Creating an Arbitrary Pattern from a regular structure.
  "The best way to create an arbitrary pattern is to start with a regular pattern in dimension n+1 and then remove one dimension" Here this is done by taking an angled slice through a 3D pattern, to create a 2D patter.(39:20 - 40:20)

• ...that still allows elements to be repeated (55:50)

Construction of One World Trade Center

In honor of One World Trade Center becoming the tallest building in New York, EarthCam has released an exciting time-lapse movie showcasing the construction progress from 2004-2012.

Airport with an Identity

Edinburgh Air Traffic Control Tower heading up the business section in Monday's 'i' newspaper.