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50crowley — Plaster Study Model
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Published: 2011-09-26 19:06:30 +0000 UTC; Views: 4066; Favourites: 15; Downloads: 14
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Description
As part of my senior project, I did a number of studies dealing with "connection" and "interlocking".In this specific example, I built a 2'x2'x1' box out of plywood and caulked the seams to make it water proof. I then filled 100 balloons with water (to give them density), placed them in the box, and poured about 10 gallons of plaster on top of them. Several days and a few leaks later, I disassembled the box, popped all the balloons, and voilà! this puppy was born!
I correctly theorized that the plaster would fill the gaps and create a three dimensional lattice and that the balloons, due to the density of the water inside them, would hold their positions and prevent the plaster from seeping in between them.
The resulting form is a three dimensional variant of a Voronoi tessellation, which became a primary theme for the rest of the year.
This model represented a major breakthrough in my research. I departed from studying tectonic connections and began investigating stereotomic relationships, which are much more abstract and, frankly, more interesting.
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Comments: 13
Wooow I just love the building process 
And ahhh voronoi
Anyways nice work
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Yeah, unfortunately the voronoi pattern is being used a LOT because it looks cool and not because of the real physical advantages it offers. It can be kind of a bitch to work with, but once you really understand it it becomes intuitive.
I have a feeling people will look back on all of the voronoi experiments being done today as we do with the inflatable/plastic architecture craze of the 80's: "Cool, but... why?".
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Lol I actually have that impression about voronoi
At times i wonder if voronoi architecture will be a bit like archigram ..... some of those of those projects are just a mess
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Really cool mock up you made...i did some similar study mock ups for a house project i was working on..here are the links of the final outcome, you might find it interesting...
[link]
[link]
Im pretty sure you looked at OMA's "Prada Sponge" project, but their is also a firm called MATSYS that made a project that was similar, called "cellular form-finiding". It might help you if your still interested in exploring that idea!
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Haha, its always funny to find someone else arriving at the same/similar conclusions on their own. Believe it or not, I was not familiar with "Prada Sponge" before I did my little experiment. It was only during a presentation that a juror asked me where I got the inspiration and then suggested I look up OMA's work. As it turns out, OMA literally did the exact same experiment (plaster, plywood, balloons, etc) before finding the right materials for "Prada Sponge".
I really wasn't sure if I should be disappointed that it had been done before, or thrilled that I shared the same line of thinking as the people at OMA, lol.
I was familiar with MATSYS's P_Wall project [link] before and I later discovered another project by them called C_Wall that bore an even greater similarity to my studies. They are a really cool firm and were quite inspirational to me at the time.
Ok, your 1"=1' house mockup is HUGE!!! How the hell are you supposed to even move that?! Its really cool though. As a precursor to the plaster model, I did a similar (virtual) experiment in Rhino by using grasshopper to randomly generate spheres within a 2"x2"x2" cube and then use a boolean-subtract function to carve them out of a solid. I ended up abandoning it because I could not find a way to get the spheres to deform (like balloons) in a virtual environment. I know it can be done, but I didn't have the time.
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sorry that i haven't responded to you sooner, but i have been busy with my senior project and studio. For my senior project I'm actually exploring the same technique but trying to push it a lot further. I'm also trying to see how i can incorporate it into a mid-rise building.
haha yeah that model was huge, it actually had wheels on it so it could be moved. The good thing is that i designed it so the foam model can be detached. Yeah that project is one of my favorite ones that i have done at Cal Poly Pomona.
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Fantastic! Just sand down the rough edges, and this could be a great piece!
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Alas, this model was destroyed at the end of the year. It weighed over 75lbs but was too fragile to survive the journey home, so I left it to the wolves in studio.
I was never really concerned about the edges because it was never intended to be anything more than an experiment. Perhaps I will do another one some day. Only this time I'll build a smaller box and use a stronger plaster mix!
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That would be awesome. Maybe you could use a box that is a perfect cube?
If you could get the top layer to stay intact, it would look really cool.
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Yes, a perfect cube would be a challenge indeed. I would probably have to vary the amount of water in each tier of balloons to ensure the bottom ones do not collapse from the weight above them. Even so, I may have to find a balloon substitute to ensure the half-filled ones do not deflate while the plaster is hardening.
I imagine that would be a project for a weekend once I am finished with my graduate applications, lol.
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They have those soft air filled plastic balls... With the pictures on them? (Usually found in walmart/target in those metal cages)
Those might do the job. You can usually refill them with a bike pump, so you could make them like firm balloons.
And you could easily pop them with a hobby knife when its done drying.
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