Lean Composite Shells

While emergent production technologies in architecture allow greater precision in multiple materials, they do very little to reduce by-product waste in common processes, such as custom moldmaking. This project project looks into developing a lean production method for free-form composite building envelopes, using readily available fabrication tools, such as a six axis water jet cutter and commonly used lamination techniques. A simple definition is employed to rationalize a given geometry into a 3D teeth system which once interlocked, enables achieving a precise curve without the use of molds of any kind. The model is then tied to a finite element solver, allowing the user to vary the panel’s porosity to correspond with local shear stress. The result is a pattern of cavities in varying sizes.