Augmented Grain explores the use of naturally responsive materials in custom tailored responsive surfaces. The project investigates the potentials of enhancing the existing hygroscopic properties of wood in regards to selection, fabrication, and assemblage, in order to encode surfaces with variable responsive characteristics. A mix of low tech traditional woodworking techniques and advanced computationally driven fabrication methods are used to create functional variation in relation to orientation, intensity, and speed of actuation. The project represents a methodological shift in construction technique from designing and fabricating static parts that are manually assembled to fit a specific geometry, to designing active surfaces programmed to form in response to changes in environmental conditions. This shift from static to designing and specifying active material properties could fundamentally change how architectural scale structures are conceived, and react to changing conditions over time. In this context, the research project develops efficient methods for tailored manipulation based on the unique characteristics of individual wood parts, as well as construction of large scale self forming building elements.
Dylan Wood
ITECH / MSc. Integrative Technologies and Architectural Design Research
ICD /Institute for Computational Design
University of Stuttgart
Thesis Advisers:
Prof. A. Menges / O. Krieg, / D. Correa,
icd.uni-stuttgart.de

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