Lamellae Mahi Matua: Papaunga Mahi Maha by Trevor Ryan Patt

Lamellae Mahi Matua: Papaunga Mahi Maha by Trevor Ryan Patt is a highly esteemed winner of the very prestigious 2021 A' Design Award Hiriwa in Hoahoa Hanga, Hātepe, Tawhā me te AI-Āwhina Competition Category.

HiriwaHoahoa Hanga· 2021

Lamellae Mahi Matua: Papaunga Mahi Maha

by Trevor Ryan Patt

Client: Ahtehha

A' Design Award Hiriwa Winner in Hoahoa Hanga Category

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Verified Award Winner

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Colors

The Design

About Lamellae Mahi Matua: Papaunga Mahi Maha

Kōrero Pukapuka: Ka whakamahi a Lamellae i tētahi tauira rorohiko kaihoko-maha whakaritenga hei waihanga i tētahi pūnaha papaunga uaua-āhuahanga engari he māemae, he tika-ariā hoki, e taea ana te whakarite mō ake tonu atu kia urutau ki ngā wāhi kua noho kē me te whakaaturanga o ngā taonga motuhake. Ahakoa he tū whakairo tata-baroque tōna, ko te mōhiotanga ki ngā herenga hanga me te whakahiato kua whakauruhia ki te hoahoa waihanga ka taea ai te whakatinana mā ngā momo tōtika: mā te tapatapahi swarf ka whakaitihia te wā mīhini cnc me te tuku papa-tāpiri, he tautoko-ā-roto te raupapa whakahiato, ā, mā te tūhono tōtika ka whakatūturutia te tuunga tika me te uru.

The Recognition

About the A' Design Award Hiriwa

Ko Lamellae Mahi Matua: Papaunga Mahi Maha te toa o te A' Design Award Hiriwa, he whakaaetanga tino whai mana e hoatu ana ki ngā hoahoa taumata teitei rawa, ātaahua me te whakamīharo. Ko ngā toa Hiriwa he mahi tino kanapa, tino auaha e whakaatu ana i te mātanga, te pūmanawa me te mōhio hōhonu o ā rātou kaihoahoa. E tūmanakohia ana ko Lamellae Mahi Matua: Papaunga Mahi Maha he mahi whakamīharo, he tauira, he tino ngaio, he auaha hōhonu. Ko tēnei hoahoa i toa i te Hiriwa he hanganga rongonui, whakamīharotia e whai wāhi ana ki te whakawhānui i ngā rohe o te toi, te pūtaiao, te hoahoa me te hangarau. Ko Lamellae Mahi Matua: Papaunga Mahi Maha he mahi e hae ana te tini, e whakaara ana i ngā hiahia, e kawe mai ana i ngā kare-ā-roto pai, ā, e whakaoho ana i te mīharo.

Behind the Design

Press Kit

Credits, team members and technical details provided by the designer.

Unique Properties: Lamellae uses a bespoke multi-agent model to generate a geometrically complex but refined and conceptually precise shelving system that can be endlessly customized to adapt to existing spaces and the display of unique objects.
Although it has an almost baroque sculptural presence, awareness of fabrication and assembly constraints coded into the design allow it to be efficiently realized: CNC swarf cutting optimizes fabrication and allows flatpack delivery; aggregation from small, discrete elements enables limitless scaling while dimensions simplifying installation.
Dimensions & Packaging: Overall dimensions: 7000mm x 3000mm x 900mm
Materials: 18mm Baltic Birch Plywood, 1mm Lasercut Aluminum, 7mm Recycled PET Felt Panels
Tags: mulit-agent modelling, generative design, digital fabrication, furniture, installation
Production Technology: The generative model was custom programmed as a multi-agent model in python. Each lamella unit is represented by an individual software agent that determines its position, adjusts its orientation, checks intersections, and generates the geometry for joining and surfacing.
Customization can be controlled by the designer to adjust the pattern, to adapt to the context, and to introduce disruptions to the surface.
At any point in the design process, all pieces can be automatically laid out and unrolled for fabrication. In the testing stage, a custom exporter for hotwire cutting was written for machining fullscale mockups directly from the model file. The final project was realized with 5-axis CNC routing using swarf cuts exclusively to minimize machine time and simplify flatpacking for delivery. Each piece is unique and cannot be assembled in the wrong position. The precision allows the wood structure to be assembled entirely by friction fit without fasteners or falsework. The complex geometry and lack of parallel joints is beneficial for structural stability of the assembly.
The aluminum inserts are lasercut and hand-folded into place. They are fastened to the back face as a redundant protection against shear forces. Their geometry, especially the location of fastening tabs, is also generated by the multi-agent model.
Design Challenge: This project recognizes the fabrication potentials and efficiency of assembly in the Zollbau lamella structures pioneered in the 1920s. The reciprocal structure of the Zollbau system allowed for large forms to be built out of many, small elements. However, the forms that could be produced were quite limited because any adaptation of the shape had to be propagated through every piece. This research began by using multi-agent modeling to solve the problem of the lamella structure on a free-form shape, utilizing the discrete elements as an expressive element. They suggest a fluid and curvilinear transformation between different display dimensions despite possessing the fabrication efficiency of being milled from flat sheet of plywood. A challenge here was adapting the dynamic multi-agent model to ensure the repeatability and precision required for accurate CNC fabrication and the exact fit of joints.
Research: Lamellae develops research on utilizing agent-based modelling in fabrication of highly-refined design work. In this project, each element of the assembly was represented by a unique software object that ensure that piece is within fabrication limits of the CNC machine and the available material dimensions while also generating the complex geometry that gives the project its seamless appearance. This allows unlimited customization of the overall form, unique features like the reading bench here, and adaptation to its surroundings when placed in complex existing conditions.
Inspiration: The project was inspired by historical lamella structures that operate through small, discrete elements and a distilled tectonic system. Their geometry, however is limited. I wanted to apply my research into multi-agent systems to resolve the complex spatial interdependencies that such a system would require to adapt to any customized, free-form surfaces. Additionally, using CNC fabrication, seamless joints and continuity between parts could be built into the elements themselves.
Project Duration: This project is located in the foyer of the DManD Research Centre in Singapore. It is the culmination of a research track initiated 2014. Fabrication and installation were completed in October 2019.
Operation Flow: The shelving unit was designed to display diverse work in fabrication and 3d printing as well as to compile a library of technical research for the entrance lobby of a research centre. This motivated a design with shelves of many different dimensions and the inclusion of a seating alcove within the structure.
The generative system behind the piece is much more flexible allowing freestanding spatial forms, even structural vaults.