Front View of Housing Block
The project explores the possibilities of discrete architecture design and fabrication strategies by prototyping timber based building blocks. The project is a shift from the traditional architectural style involving thousands of complex parts as it explores the possibility to build forms through the combinatorics of a single part. The parts were physically tested on different primitive architectural and structural conditions such as columns, beams and floor slabs. Furthermore, through the aggregations of the components various design possibilities are explored and translated into a housing design.
Component Connection Possibilities
It focuses on understanding computationally an individual part and its assembly with other parts to form a larger structure. Each individual part can be connected to the other in multiple possibilities.
Component Trials
The design ensures exploration of different ideas and combinatorics and develop strategies and techniques to prototype the components and use them to develop the design for a housing block. The repetitive aggregation of these very basic geometries leads to highly complex and coherent outcomes.
Plan - Chunk 1
Plan - Chunk 2
Plan - Chunk 3
Axonometric- Chunk 1
Axonometric- Chunk 2
Axonometric- Chunk 3
Housing Chunks
The proposal initially starts as a free plan Maison domino-like structure, but when we discretize the structure, it dissolves into a Raumplan like structure. By the use of discrete building elements, we are able to achieve different spaces with varying scale and purpose. The discrete components act as the perfect solution as they have the ability to transform a space either into a Maison domino or a Raumplan.
Floor Plan
Steel Cable Connections
Component Fabrication - Timber
The discrete components were fabricated on a 1:1 scale in timber and their connection possibilities were explored through small scale laser cut model aggregations. Each component has a stable internal structure made out of timber with sheets of plywood acting as the cover. The components are connected to each other through the use of steel cables which keeps the overall assembly in tension.
View of balcony
View of bedroom
View of living area
With the advancement in technology and the field of architecture, discrete elements can be easily automated and can also solve the housing crisis by developing efficient and economically feasible structures in a very short span of time.