Architectural Kitchen

Group Members - Bhavit Patil | Dhruv Sachala | Swamini Nagare | Ria Shah | Ashwini Borkar

The studio emerged at the intersection of materials and technologies in the and aimed at exploring the relationships between humans, apparatus and the act of making itself. We discussed the importance of the act of making as a process in itself. The metaphor of an architectural kitchen suggests the experimental nature of the studio, with a perpetual emphasis on making, regardless of its success or failure, not unlike a kitchen. The studio began with each participant’s experience with making in any context or form which helped expand the concept of making as a forward process, in an ongoing generative movement that is at once itinerant, improvisatory and rhythmic, and may or may not have a finished end result; rather than a backward process from a finished object to an initial intention in the mind of an agent.

Through readings like ‘The factory by Villem Flusser’ and ‘Are we human by Colomina Wigley’ the ideas of agency and apparatus were opened up through an historical review of tools, artefacts and their cultural relevance. Historically, the acquisition and transfer of knowledge is located through scriptures and other forms of literary records. Flusser believes an alternative approach of reading history through the spaces of manufacturing along with the artefacts and their making process itself holds a richer understanding of the culture, revolutions and life itself. Here, the hand is the most primitive tool known to humankind which not only held its own agency in making but also ensured that the process of making happened with a constant engagement between human, environment and culture. With technological innovations, tools, machines and robots became subsequent simulations of the human hand. But the agency of humans here shifted to the programming and coding of the machines and robots whereas the agency of making became of the simulations. This human and non-human agency was discussed and explored through both research of existing practices, cultures and crafts; and material experimentations.

Continuing researches and experiments done in the previous years of the studio and the school, material experimentation was undertaken namely, the glass fiber.

Aim and Intent:

The experiment works with a composite material of glass fiber and resin, resin works as a hardener and binder to the glass fiber. The fabric is pinned to the framework and the form is derived through the gravitational force acting on it. A series of experiments were done earlier in SEA to explore the possibilities of the apparatus that makes material forms under gravitational influence. It explores the logic of the frame - work to allow material forms. The first diagram, which is the catenary arch, is derived from the earlier experiments at SEA. For which the Fabric is hanging freely and acting under its own weight, supporting at its end points. With only gravitational force and no other load acting on it.

The concept of minimal surface is then introduced on the catenary surface by adding a pinch to it. The term "minimal surface" is used because these surfaces originally arose as surfaces that minimized total surface area subject to some constraint. Frei Otto used the concept of minimal surface, by dipping a wire frame into a soap solution, forming a soap film.

The pinch enforces a amount of tension to the suspended glass fibre in gravity. By pinching the surface the curves of the surface join each other at a point which reduces the surface area at a point and makes it more stable. Glass fiber is a mesh and can be suspended and stretched to a form which helps it to work on the principle of minimal surface by spanning the smallest area to a given boundary.

By clamping the glass fibre at two ends and apply resin.

Steps 1

Experiments to know the material and the forces acting on it.

• Make a frame work to clamp the ends to form a catenary arch.

• Pinch the fabric at a distance. ( variable)

• Apply layer of resin on glass fiber (Layer 1)

• Let it dry

• Add random mesh of glass fiber (Layer 2)

• Apply another coat of resin

Experiment 1

Apparatus : Wooden framework 18” x 18” x 18”

Fabric length : 24”

Fabric width : 16”

Fabric sag : 7”

Observation : The catenary arch increases its fall as we apply resin to the glass fiber.

The Pinch makes the form more stable by adding a third dimension to the volume.

As we applied resin the surface started to widen itself due to the weight which made the surface flatter near the pinch.

Learnings : As the fabric is away from the pinch it gets flatter. As the width of the fabric increases the area gets flatter.

Experiment 2 :

Apparatus : Wooden framework 18” x 18” x 18”

Fabric length : 25”

Fabric width : 25”

Observation : As we vary the end points of the fabric clamp the catenary curve changes its form.

Experiment 3:

Apparatus : Wooden framework 18” x 18” x 18”

Fabric length : 25”

Fabric width : 6” (shorter side)

Fabric width : 12” (longer side)

Pinch (center) : 8”

Learnings : The shorter the length the curves get more flatter. And the depth of the surface increases.

Experiment 4:

Apparatus : Wooden framework 18” x 18” x 18”

Fabric length : 25”

Fabric width : 6” (shorter side)

Fabric width : 12” (longer side)

Pinch (center) : 8”

Learnings : The pinch on the shorter side of the fabric makes it more stable when it's perpendicular to the ground.

The experiment is later mobilized in making the pavilion unit.

Experiment 5:

Apparatus : Wooden framework 18” x 18” x 18”

Fabric length : Stretched to maximum

Fabric width : 12” (longer side)

Objective : To understand the gravitational force acting on the

Glass fiber after application of resin.

Conclusion : The tension in the fabric increases resulting in a wider opening at both the ends

Experiment 6:

Apparatus : Wooden framework 18” x 18” x 18”

Fabric length : 30”

Fabric width : 12” (longer side)

Learnings: As the length of the fabric increases, the sag increases which changes the

Shape of the curve resulting into a more deeper curve.

Steps 2

Experiments to work out a 1:1 pavilion unit with a pinch.

Apparatus : Wooden framework

Fabric length : 42''

Fabric width : 12” (longer side)

Objective : To achieve a pavillion from different units.

For complete study please refer following link - https://sites.google.com/sea.edu.in/research-criticalmaking/studios/studio-2022-23?authuser=0