Abstract
Two Case Studies are presented, that investigate different methods of modelling aggregate behaviour in an architectural design application. Aggregates are a novel branch of architectural material systems and are defined as systems of large numbers of loose elements in frictional contact. Especially if the individual grain is custom-designed, the range of possible behaviours is widened—the granular system becomes programmable matter. As opposed to conventional construction systems in architecture, where local and global geometries are precisely described, aggregate systems require new modes of designing which are based on their emergent behaviour. The paper presents two cases both from the realm of numerical simulation and from material-based robotic experimentation. Case Study 1 uses Distinct-Element Modelling for the predictive and analytic modelling of an arch made of designed particles. Case Study 2 introduces an online robotic process that uses luminance values in an aggregate structure to control a six-axis robot using a feedback loop. As an outlook strategies for developing the numerical and the material model both individually and in combination are proposed.
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Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank Sacha Emam, Matthew Purvance and Reza Taghavi of ITASCA Consulting Group, Inc. for their support within the IEP Program, Tobias Schwinn and Julian Höll of the Institute for Computational Design (ICD) for sharing their expertise in online-controlled robotic processes as well as Matthias Helmreich and Ondřej Kyjánek (ICD) for their support in conducting large-scale experiments.
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Dierichs, K., Angelova, D., Menges, A. (2015). Modelling Aggregate Behaviour. In: Thomsen, M., Tamke, M., Gengnagel, C., Faircloth, B., Scheurer, F. (eds) Modelling Behaviour. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24208-8_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-24208-8_1
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