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• Team
  • Univ. Prof. Arch. Matthias Karch
  • Max Justus Hoven
  • Mohammad Reza Abdollahi Bidhendi
  • Nicole Nickel
  • Dr. Philipp Reinfeld
  • Łukasz Lendziński
  • Wolfgang Zurborn

• Guest lectures _WHERE ARE WE NOW?

• 2024
  • AD +10 Meter _Into The Open_01
  • AD +10 Meter _Into The Open_02
  • AD +10 Meter _Into The Open_03
  • FT F60 bridge Brandenburg
  • FT Cologne Deutz harbor
  • AD Grossmarkthalle Cologne_01
  • AD Grossmarkthalle Cologne_02
  • AD Grossmarkthalle Cologne_03
  • AD Grossmarkthalle Cologne_04
  • AD Grossmarkthalle Cologne_05
  • AD Marine Research Center Stavanger
  • AD Fun Palace ICC Berlin
  • FT Fun Palace ICC Berlin
  • RO Architectural Narratives
  • MD Tegel-Süd
• 2023
  • AD Data Center A 100
  • AD LIB 686 Cologne_01
  • AD LIB 686 Cologne_02
  • AD LIB 686 Cologne_03
  • VR Dark Tourism
  • MD The Block: Narrative Models
  • MD City of Consumption
  • MD Sensitive Volume
  • MD Celluloid
• 2022
  • EX | GREY BOX TESTING _Workshop
  • EX | GREY BOX TESTING _ALMERIA
  • EX | GREY BOX TESTING _KOLWEZI
  • EX | GREY BOX TESTING _SILICON
  • EX | GREY BOX TESTING _AUTONOM
  • AD In Limbus
  • AD Atlantikwall
  • AD Zentrum für Fotografie_01
  • AD Zentrum für Fotografie_02
  • AD Zentrum für Fotografie_03
  • AD Zentrum für Fotografie_04
  • AD Immigrants hotspot Calais
  • AD Spreepark Berlin
  • AD EXPO2021 Transformation
  • AD Calais
  • RO Cooling Clay
  • RO Projective Fabrications
  • MD Dover
  • MD Blind Spot
  • MD Power of Spaces
  • MD Flickwerk
  • MD Scaffolds
• 2021
  • AD Gasometer Schoeneberg_01
  • AD Gasometer Schoeneberg_02
  • AD Gasometer Schoeneberg_03
  • AD Gasometer Schoeneberg_04
  • AD Perception as Reality
  • AD Ebertplatz Koeln_01
  • AD Ebertplatz Koeln_02
  • AD Ebertplatz Koeln_03
  • AD Rural Taxonomy - Rheinland
  • VR Agora Virtuell
  • MD Weaving Worlds
  • MD Behind the Scenes
  • MD Borders Crossing Borders
  • MD Perspektivwechsel
  • MD Ghosts of Beirut
  • MD Codifying Embodied Practices
  • MD Flux-House
  • MD Peripherie BS
• 2020
  • EX NEUXKÖLLN
  • CO VR Symposium, Hannover
  • FT Schnöggersburg
  • EX VR-Präsentation TU Berlin
  • AD Assemble - DisAssemble_01
  • AD Assemble - DisAssemble_02
  • AD Assemble - DisAssemble_03
  • AD Rural Taxonomy - Lausitz
  • AD Virtual Reality Center
  • AD Allotment Garden Berlin
  • AD Cinematheque for Berlin
  • AD Neft Dashlari
  • VR Unbefugte Nutzung
  • MD Rural Taxonomy - Almeria
  • MD Interrail Travel Guide
  • MD Interrail Speculative Narrations
  • MD Mapping MySpace
• 2019
  • EX Kino der Moderne
  • AD Yellow Tower Hildesheim
  • AD Silk Road Duisburg
  • AD Ein ZKM für Berlin_01
  • AD Ein ZKM für Berlin_02
  • AD European Hub Inden
  • AD ÖKOstrie 4.0_BioDigital
  • AD Reverse Architecture Chemnitz
  • FT Chemnitz
  • VR Zeichnen virtueller Raumbilder
  • VR Entwerfen in der Virtuellen Realität
  • VR Being a Drone
  • VR Raumzeichnen 1
  • RO Intrinsic Acoustics
  • MD Digital Stereotomy
• 2018
  • EX Roboramics _FUTURIUM
  • AD Avus North Curve Berlin
  • AD Wuppertal Reloaded
  • AD Neues Sehen
  • AD Benno Ohnesorg
  • RO Endless Space
  • RO Roboramics
  • AR Spatial Information
  • AR Augmented Realities
  • VR Fieldstation Berlin Teufelsberg_2
  • VR Fieldstation Berlin Teufelsberg
  • MD Bending Bamboo
  • MD Skins
  • MD flow fly fold
  • MD From Idea to Design
  • MD Digitale Fabrikation
  • MD Spatial Informa(p)tions
  • MD Information Space 2
• 2017
  • CO With eyes wide shut
  • EX Photo-Based Architecture
  • AD In.Form the Void
  • AD Info.Tecture
  • AD Transforming Tegel
  • AD The space could also be different
  • VR Mit weit geschlossenen Augen
  • VR This is real
  • VR Designing Virtual Realities
  • LE Image-based Architecture
  • RO Hello Robot
  • RO Robot wire bender
  • MD Cyber Space Modulators
  • MD Ghost towns
  • MD Motion - Space - Object
  • MD Dynamic Surfaces
  • MD Spatial modular systems
  • MD Foams
  • MD Tomorrow land
  • MD Information Space
  • MD Hybrid Processes 2
• 2016
  • EX March Formations
  • EX Modular spatial installations
  • AD Connecting the Dots
  • FT Connecting the Dots
  • AD Kultur.Raum Amsterdam
  • AD WissensRäume
  • AD Climate Mod Station
  • RO In-Space
  • RO Spatial Composition
  • MD Totale Inszenierung
  • MD Conduct light - Transform space
  • MD Hybrid Processes
• 2015
  • EX Bigger than life
  • AD Checkpoint Charlie theater
  • AD Honecker Bunker Prenden
  • FT Honecker Bunker Prenden
  • RO The Unseen Ornament
  • MD WovenWoodWall
  • MD Bunkerarcheology
  • MD Upside down
  • MD Floating Concrete Shells
  • MD One to One
  • MD Foldable Surfaces
  • MD Image Based Architecture
  • MD Linear Constructions
  • MD Reconstructing Tschernichow
  • MD Cut Fold Turn
  • MD Metabolism Printing
  • MD Enter the Void
• 2014
  • EX Smart modular systems
  • AD Nuremberg transscription
  • AD Avus north curve
  • AD Time out zones
  • FT Time out zones1
  • FT Time out zones2
  • AD Hacking Berlin Teufelsberg
  • FT Hacking Berlin Teufelsberg
  • AD Moma Tower
  • AD Highrise Topology
  • MD The Continuity of Space
  • MD Continuum Structures
  • MD Dissolving Funnel
  • MD Photopology 1
  • MD Cut to fit
  • MD Parametric tiling
• 2013
  • EX Out of Control
  • AD The sky over Berlin
  • FT The sky over Berlin
  • MD Wolfsburg Westhagen
  • MD Neighborhoods Westhagen
  • MD PanOrama: Alles sehen
  • MD Drawing machines
  • MD perForm
  • MD Scheme and system
  • MD Blowup
  • MD Follow the line
  • MD Micro Pneumatic Structures
• 2012
  • EX inForm
  • EX ConStructs
  • AD Bauhaus Museum
  • FT Bauhaus Weimar
  • AD Ernst Reuter Platz Berlin
  • MI nCloths
  • MD Raumparallaxe
  • MD Ambiguous composing
  • MD Mapping
  • MD Wooden Textiles
  • MD OnLine
  • MD Never trust a surface
  • MD Outskirt Phenomena
  • MD Aural Architectures
• 2011
  • EX SpaceInversions
  • AD Spree Space Bridge
  • AD Rhoen Flight
  • MD Space on the drawing
  • MD Exhilarated with the depth
  • MD Stop motion space
  • MD Urban-image-spacing
  • MD Bit-mapping space
  • MD Photo stitching reality
• 2010
  • EX Explosee
  • EX Video reprojections
  • EX Tape Deck
  • AD Sustainable Center Afsluitdijk
  • AD Hangar J 1000
  • FT Junkers+Bauhaus Dessau
  • MI Hangar J 1000
  • MD Medial design processes
  • MD Responsive_wall
  • MD The flow of things
  • MD PhotoStitching Reality
  • MD Space projections
  • MD Urban_bit_map
  • MD Google's street view
  • MD Structural constellations
  • MD Intersection space
  • MD Parts of space
  • MD The section maker
• 2009
  • EX Towers in CNC milling
  • AD Frankfurt high-rise
  • MD Complex capacities
  • MD Production from Reality
  • MD Medial design processes
  • MD The parallel city
  • MD The reality of the medial image
  • MD Sequential movie objects
  • MD Street View _Locative Virtuality
  • MD Soundscapes
  • MD Space modulator
  • MD Paper cuts
• 2008
  • EX Mediaturen
  • AD Home game
  • MD Smart surfaces
  • MD The imPerfect form
  • MD On growth and form
  • MD From image plane to depth
  • MD Projection drawings
  • MD Sight in movement
  • MD Walk the Line
• 2007
  • EX Towers in color
  • PE 2' 11'' Soundscapes
  • MD The imPerfect form
  • MD Rather than plan
  • MD Programme.System.Coincidence
• 2006
  • AD Berlin Vertical
  • AD Beijing Space
  • FT Visiting China
• 2005
  • PE Mediaturen
  • EX Raum:Ge:Bild:e

MEDIA DESIGN | Micro Pneumatic Structures

The purpose of this seminar and research inspired by Thomas Herzog’s seminal work Pneumatische Konstruktionen/Bauten aus Membranen und Luft is two-fold. On the one hand it addresses the concept of small scale inflatable components that when properly designed and arranged lead to new large scale lightweight structures, secondly it is a convenient platform to engage a small group of highly motivated Master and Diploma students in fine tuning their computational and geometrical analysis skills.

Most known pneumatic structures rely on large envelops or large sections to build up the final hull. Few envelops exemplify the concept of micro pneumatic elements used to generate large hulls. The use of smaller individual units could permit a certain number to collapse without pulling down the entire structure, as is the case in large balloon type hulls. Another aspect is the potential for locally informing components to react to environmental situations, such as solar, wind, media, etc.

The seminar reviews Herzog’s work and pitches recent 2d digitally fabricated periodic pattern studies produced by Haresh Lalvani to explore pinwheel motions in flat polygons which when stretched generate complex 3d geometries. The students investigate patterns suitable for study on a larger scale. The shapes must be developable, as in "flat when at rest". This is an important factor in the design and fabrication process. We are inflating 2d shapes welded at their edges, very similar to the work and research produced by Oscar Zieta; however we are using PVC sheets (donated by Renolit) instead of sheet metal.

To explore these concepts we have developed a Rhino ® Grasshopper and Kangaroo physics script capable of iteratively controlling mesh refinement, pseudo material properties (as we are currently limited to a mass springs solver) and physical forces (such as air pressure and gravity).

Parallel to the digital models the students build analog prototypes to check against their simulation results. This has lead to intense research in mesh optimization theories to arrive at clean initial mesh setups.

The students have managed to develop new types of micro pneumatic structures using flexible and stiff materials to control the deformation process on the membrane under pressure. Furthermore, they have demonstrated that geometry on the macro and micro level plays a role in controlling the shapes without performing the surfaces.

Pfaff Industries enabled us to mass-produce prototypes with ultra-sonic welding devices. This type of technology allows bonding multi-ply materials with precision and speed.

Directed by: Christophe Barlieb