Baily ZunigaBachelor of Science in ArchitectureMIT Class of 2017

The Origins of MakingArchitecture Design Fundamentals I

The precedent for this assignment had to define the origins of life. I focused on the concept of growth in regard to the Fungi Kingdom. Fungal organisms are made of hyphae cells that form thread-like structures, branching outward. To represent this intricate growth pattern, I used Processing to create a drawing. In the Processing code, dense patterns of circles are woven across the page, quickly filling the space over time. The images created from the code provided a foundation for taking the project from 2D to 3D. Values from the second image determined the height and radius of extruded circles. Values from the image represent how densely packed the circles are at that position. Thus, darker values resulted in smaller and shorter cylinders. A 3D print was used to make a three part polyurethane mold. I then casted in resin and in plaster. The vertical columns used for pouring were left untouched in the resin model because it allowed for a new orientation of the form. A layer of moss — mixed with water and buttermilk — was applied to the plaster model; the moss began to grow and attach to the plaster.

Four drawings generated using Processing, shown as a time lapse.

Rules used to get from 2D to 3D.

Fluid Assembly: ChairSelf Assembly Lab

While working at MIT’s Self Assembly Lab, I developed the lab’s first prototype of a self-assembling chair. Before designing the chair, I worked on the previous Fluid Crystallization projects that use a single unit to create non-deterministic crystal lattice patterns. The chair project diverges from the previous projects in that it uses unique units to form a determined outcome. Originally, I tested using MakerBot and Dimension 3D-printed pieces. These were found to be too dense and time-consuming. I moved toward using laser-cut waterproof paper and Dimension 3D-printed connector pieces. The connectors could be easily switched out to test multiple configurations. These pieces are male-female connections that have magnets in each center. The first working prototype was a basic chair divided into four symmetric forms with a set of seven unique male-female connections.

Basic geometric chair components.

Symmetric connector shapes can link up in more than one orientation, risking the chance for an invalid configuration.

Connector shapes that are partial pieces of other connectors also invalidate the purity of the system. The connections are no longer one-to-one.

The final set of connectors is shown above. To account for symmetry, no two connectors have notches that are the same distance apart from one another in the same order. In order to ensure each piece is unique, a circle was divided into twelve segments, thirty degrees apart. Each division accounted for a small rectangular notch. The circle on the left of each pair of connectors displays the notches with reference to the whole. To keep things easy to understand, I named each pair by the number of unused positions that are in between the three notches, in the clockwise direction. For example, the top left pair would be known as 531. The one beneath 531 is 513. Though it may seem like these are the same, they are actually chiral structures, or mirror images.

The top drawing one pair of shows the connectors. A cylindrical magnet fits in the middle of each piece. The side protrusions slot into the laser cut nets of the chair frame pieces. This allows for their quick removal and replacement as new connections are tested.

Monolith: SubtractionArchitecture Design Studio I(In Progress)

Another student and I were assigned the blind splice column joint, a Japanese joint that uses a key to hold two mirrored pieces intact. The inverted piece became the volume for exploring circulation and rooms using the method of subtraction. Four rooms had to be carved out of the monolith, each with a unique view. One room can only see the ground, another only the sky, another the horizon; lastly, one room must receive natural light but have no view. When I placed the sky view at the lowest point and the ground view at the highest point of my structure, I discovered that the views could be obtained using a similar tapering geometry. I decided to find a single geometry that worked for all the rooms, a perfect shape that met every constraint and allowed for circulation.

Isometric drawing highlighting each room. Every room is the same shape; from top to bottom: ground view, no view, horizon view, sky view.

3D prints of the final shape of the room.

The original blind splice Japanese column joint.

The orientation for the rooms: ground view, no view, sky view, and horizon view, respectively.

Sections

Plans

sky view (1) horizon view (2)

no view (3) ground view (4)

4

3

2

1

Shape Grammar LightVisual Computing I

Label 1

Label 2

Label 5

Label 6

Label 4

Label 7

Label 8

Label 3

Eight Possible Configurations

Shape grammars are visual rules that can be repeated iteratively to form non-deterministic designs. I created a lighting unit that is a combination of a 2D grammar and a 3D grammar. The 3D grammar generates possible forms for the light. The 3D grammar consists of one addition rule and one shape. The shape, an anti-pyramid, is composed of two squares set a vertical distance apart with one shape rotated forty-five degrees from the other; the vertices are then connected. The spatial relation involves an upright and an inverted anti-pyramid. Using the eight labels to account for the lines of symmetry, I applied the rule eight different times. Three of the labels (3, 6 and 8) form an intersecting shape and are shown as drawings. The 2D grammar generates the pattern that allows light to shine through the hollow forms. The rules are a merging of the Chinese lattice grammar and the litema shape grammar. A single motif is rotated and reflected in two directions to create a repeating pattern. The motif is an inverted “Y” shape where the surrounding triangles are shaded. The grammar formed twenty-four patterns that can be grouped into three categories: zigzag, chevron, and square. The 2D grammars were integrated into the nets of the anti-pyramids and then the 3D grammar was performed. Lastly, LED lights were woven through the structure.

Square Designs

43

2

18 7 6

5

3D Rule: A —> A + copy(A) Chevron Designs Zigzag Designs

The 2D rule has two parts. First, a single motif is reflected across each axis in a counter-clockwise motion to form a new base design.

Then the new base design is reflected in the same way to create an on-going pattern.

Each of the designs to the right starts with a different order of initial motifs from the first rule.

Cover and Break Page DesignsTechnique 2015

As Design Editor for Technique, MIT’s photography and design club, I made the cover and break pages for the yearbook. The cover is a tessellated hexagons pattern. Each hexagon is divided in thirds, and each rhombus is filled with a different transparency level. The varying transparencies form a gradient of color. The break pages are composed of the same tessellation pattern from the cover with the same transparency grid. There are eight sections of the yearbook: Life in Hell, Journal, Activities, Sports, Living Groups, Seniors, Patrons, and Endgame. I created a four letter nickname for each section and drew each letter in a square. These became the new motifs for the rule and resulted in unique designs for each page. The lettering and colors for each page were chosen based on the content of each section.

Each letter from a given four letter word was drawn inside the boundaries of the 2 by 2 square. The square was then sheared into the shape of a rhombus, rotated about the center of a hexagon, and then tessellated.

The eight original drawings next to their final hexagonal motifs.

Life in Hell - HELL Journal - NOTE Activities - CLUB Sports - GAME

Living Groups - LIVE Seniors - GRAD Patrons - GIVE Endgame - TNQ<3