NOT QUITE ROUND

Translation from Albatross to Sphere

ARCH 5111 Core Studio I Instructors: Lesile Lok, David Costanza
Partnered with Rex Miller, 3 Weeks Project 2021

By extracting the movement and body structure of an albatross, we introduced folding and pleating as a method of creating curvature from a rigid, fixed point. We built a structural frame and attached fins to it - by varying the number of folds and pleats, we were able to alter the resolution of each fin, creating a dynamic and “sideless” sphere.

We translated both the property of the wing’s structure and soaring motion with the focus of “fixed centrality”, which in other words, generated a sphere from a central point with sinewave curves. These sinewave curves iterated into double-curvature surfaces, and have variety of resolution.

The centrality translated into a central joinery which connect both the wing mechanism and the flight path movement. We took the studies of the pattern under different circumstances, as well as the property of the model material nature. We introduced the resolution as to be the directory variable to represent the differentiated flight movement under different variables such as height. The whole motion rotated around the central point and forms a complete loop.

We studied the soaring mechanism in stop-motions, in which we discovered that this repeated pattern results the motion to be radio: extending from a fixed point. The wings of the albatross maintained as fixed structure throughout the whole action.