id |
acadia16_440 |
authors |
Clifford, Brandon |
year |
2016 |
title |
The McKnelly Megalith: A Method of Organic Modeling Feedback |
source |
ACADIA // 2016: POSTHUMAN FRONTIERS: Data, Designers, and Cognitive Machines [Proceedings of the 36th Annual Conference of the Association for Computer Aided Design in Architecture (ACADIA) ISBN 978-0-692-77095-5] Ann Arbor 27-29 October, 2016, pp. 440-449 |
doi |
https://doi.org/10.52842/conf.acadia.2016.440
|
summary |
Megalithic civilizations held tremendous knowledge surrounding the deceivingly simple task of moving heavy objects. Much of this knowledge has been lost to us from the past. This paper mines, extracts, and experiments with this knowledge to test what applications and resonance it holds with contemporary digital practice. As an experiment, a sixteen-foot tall megalith is designed, computed, and constructed to walk horizontally and stand vertically with little effort. Testing this prototype raises many questions about the relationship between form and physics. In addition, it projects practical application of such reciprocity between architectural desires and the computation of an object’s center of mass. This research contributes to ongoing efforts around the integration of physics-based solvers into the design process. It goes beyond the assumption of statics as a solution in order to ask questions about what potentials mass can contribute to the assembly and erecting of architectures to come. It engages a megalithic way of thinking which requires an intimate relationship between designer and center of mass. In doing so, it questions conventional disciplinary notions of stasis and efficiency. |
keywords |
rapid prototyping, design simulation, fabrication, computation, megalith |
series |
ACADIA |
type |
normal paper |
email |
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more |
admin |
full text |
file.pdf (1,318,493 bytes) |
references |
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last changed |
2022/06/07 07:56 |
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