Bronze Generative, Algorithmic, Parametric and AI-Assisted Design · 2022
Darwin Bucky Exhibition Gallery
by Kuber Patel and Jwalant Mahadevwala
- A' Design Award 2022 Bronze Winner in Generative, Algorithmic, Parametric and AI-Assisted Design
- Awarded April 15, 2022
- CLIENT: Kuber Patel
- Estimated Number of Design Views: 48,338
- Verification code D589123C5C · Verify this award
About Darwin Bucky Exhibition Gallery
Bucky is a parametric dome tent anchored to the ground which is inspired from geodesic dome designed by Buckminster Fuller. The tanks are made of 1mm thick laser cut bent metal sheets and bolted together to create an isolated space without columns. Multiple blocks of Bucky can also be linked to create a Bucky cluster. It can be assembled or disassembled in few days for storage and can be transported via shipping container. Bucky was envisioned to be easy to carry around the globe. Bucky is a light weight structure. Its a flat pack structure which is made up of metal that makes it water tight.
Press Kit
- Unique Properties
- Bucky is designed as a complete set of parts that can be assembled and disassembled if necessary at the site. It is a parametric dome tent anchored to the ground without a foundation. Bucky can be used as an exhibition gallery or a center for performance or a bar or a nightclub. The structure is a black box that provides a wide array of programs that could be decided by the tenant who rents by the day. It is designed to be placed in public gardens or exhibition grounds or even in a city square always permanently temporary provide the ground is flat.
- Dimensions & Packaging
- Diameter - 10m
Height - 6m
Material - Mild Steel
Panels - 324
Panels size - min 300mm and max 1250mm
Other components - 200
Joinery size - min 35mm - 1500mm
Number of Bolts - 2800
Technology - Machine folding and parametric modeling
Weather - all seasons - Tags
- Parametric design, Origami, travelling gallery, temporary structure, Buckminster fuller, geodesic dome, modular structure, metal folding, flat pack structure, light weight structure
- Production Technology
- The structure is made using 1mm mild steel spanning a massive 10 meters and 6 meters in height without beams or columns. The Avant grade joinery system makes the structure leakproof and conceals more than 70 percent of the 2800 bolts which is an impossible task to achieve for a component that has naked edges on all four sides as the panels need to be collapsible. The panel size can be easily handled by one person making the assembly extremely efficient.
- Design Challenge
- The challenge was to construct a typology that works for off-grid areas. The criteria to fit a 10meter span and 6meter height structure into a 6meter container was a difficult task since Bucky was envisioned to be easy to carry around the globe. Adding further, making an open system into a closed system was also a major challenge which was necessary to make the building as watertight as that would ruin the artworks. The windows are designed to have indirect lighting without having rainwater through the opening to protect the painting from any harsh environmental conditions.
- Project Duration
- Located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The project started in October 2019 and was made open to public in October 2021.
- Operation Flow
- Gallery is always perceived as a four walled box. Bucky transforms the way people experience galleries by making the building itself a part of the exhibition. People will interact the same way with the building as they interact with the exhibits inside it.
- Research
- Bucky was designed with the aim of making a travelling gallery that can be transported anywhere in the world in a 6 meter shipping container. Origami was the basic methodology used to figure out the panel folding of the building and with the help of parametric tools the fabrication was done onsite. As a result Bucky was able to be fit in a container as well as convert itself into a huge 100 square meter gallery within a matter of days.
- Inspiration
- Bucky is inspired by Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome. The project is envisioned to be a traveling gallery complemented by its aesthetic architecture for curators to exhibit their work anywhere in the world. One of the major inspirations was to create a gallery that it should be designed for repurposing and can be recycled or deconstructed to minimize unnecessary footprints.
- Image Credits
- Vinay Panjwani, Kuhoo Patel
Colors of Darwin Bucky Exhibition Gallery
Design Interview about Darwin Bucky Exhibition Gallery
Bucky is inspired by Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome. The project is envisioned to be a traveling gallery complemented by its aesthetic architecture for curators to exhibit their work anywhere in the world. One of the major inspirations was to create a gallery that it should be designed for repurposing and can be recycled or deconstructed to minimize unnecessary footprints.
The challenge was to construct a typology that works for off-grid areas. The criteria to fit a 10meter span and 6meter height structure into a 6meter container was a difficult task since Bucky was envisioned to be easy to carry around the globe. Adding further, making an open system into a closed system was also a major challenge which was necessary to make the building as watertight as that would ruin the artworks. The windows are designed to have indirect lighting without having rainwater through the opening to protect the painting from any harsh environmental conditions.
Bucky was designed with the aim of making a traveling gallery that can be transported anywhere in the world in a 6-meter shipping container. Origami was the basic methodology used to figure out the panel folding of the building and with the help of parametric tools, the fabrication was done onsite. As a result, Bucky was able to fit in a container as well as convert itself into a huge 100-square-meter gallery within a matter of days.
Located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The project started in October 2019 and was made open to the public in October 2021.
The design was a direct manifestation of the client's vision who wanted a flat-packed structure in the shape of a geodesic dome inspired by Buckminster Fuller's work.
Overall, my architectural style mostly revolves around Performance orientated design that has a strong response to material, structural, social, and environmental behavior.
The project was influenced by Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome hence, the name Bucky. The lead architect Jwalant Mahadevwala play an instrumental role in helping shape the project coupled with my skills as a Generative, Algorithmic and Parametric Design consultant.
The structure would be leased to any kind of curator wanting to showcase his/her work in a location around the world. Currently, the structure hosts many cultural events and exhibits artworks.
The structure is made using 1mm mild steel spanning a massive 10 meters and 6 meters in height without beams or columns. The Avant grade joinery system makes the structure leakproof and conceals more than 70 percent of the 2800 bolts which is an impossible task to achieve for a component that has naked edges on all four sides as the panels need to be collapsible. The panel size can be easily handled by one person making the assembly extremely efficient.
The project is influenced by a geodesic dome inspired by Buckminster Fuller hence the name Bucky.
Rhino and Grasshopper have been my go-to tools in software as they help me enhance geometrical control over the design. Digital fabrication tools such as metal laser-cutting, robotic sheet folding, and CNC tools also made this project a reality.
Galleries is always perceived as a four-walled box. Bucky transforms the way people experience galleries by making the building itself a part of the exhibition. People will interact the same way with the building as they interact with the exhibits inside it.
I collaborated with Abhay Mangaldas and ANDBLACK studio's founder/principal architect Jwalant Mahadevwala. I was the specialist who provided the entire project with Generative, Algorithmic and Parametric Design development fundamental for the project's success.
Our design style is influenced more by the process of emergence. With the advancement of computational tools like Generative, Algorithmic, and Parametric Design we now have the ability to look at designs quantitatively rather than qualitatively. The idea is that during the design process we have local-level control over each aspect of the design. Through a parametrically driven model, you have a schematic idea of the final result and the final output is always emergent. Here the design is controlled through criteria and parameters at various scales setting up a process of emergence.
The system evolved from a series of studies done on origami to make the metal sheets rigid through strategic folding. Circular shape of Bucky is a direct representation of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome which helps with structural performance and the forgiving geometrical form in case of human error during assembly.
The mathematical precision of the bolting joinery between each panel as they rotate along the circumference was successfully executed as we had a parametric model. Since the system had to flat-pack structure design the details in a way to keep the panel have no water seepage was the biggest challenge we faced during design development.
A' Design Award is a very prestigious banner and our company was waiting for the right project that could represent us in an international design competition.
I learned python coding and advance scripting through a platform called Grasshopper3d to develop a precise model leaving zero room for error. This was necessary as all panels had to be planar moving along a curved surface where each panel had to be bolted form all sides.