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WEEK 1
STUDIO SESSION 1
This week’s task was to construct a tower made of MDF blocks and rubber bands. The tower was to be made at tall as possible while using the least materials possible. We also had to create an opening large enough for a toy dinosaur to fit through (approx. 17cm tall) Our original plan: This was to simply lay the blocks like bricks in a regular house and create a cylinder type shape going upwards
-‐ This however was found to be not only time consuming, but we were also using more blocks than needed.
Our modifications: Instead we went for spacing between the blocks. This system was equally as strong and used fewer materials. This system ended up being used in every group’s construction. Constructing:
We decided on a large round base to make it as stable as possible. The plan was to go slightly inwards as we went higher to prevent it from collapsing outwards.
The opening:
To construct the opening we reinforced the sides by putting some blocks vertical. This way no blocks would have stuck out into the opening, with the risk of being knocked into. Our piece over the top of the opening was to blocks connected by a rubber band, however it was still highly prone to collapsing when a load was placed in the centre of the two.
To reinforce the top of the opening we placed multiple connected blocks spaces separately. In hindsight it might be that this system wasn’t too effective, simply because all the load would have still been placed on the top block while the others below it would have carried no weight. Problems:
As we got higher with our tower, the blocks began to slowly become uneven with each other and therefore unstable. This could have been because the carpet wasn’t completely flat, or possibly because the blocks weren’t all exactly the same width. To resolve this we added extra blocks to specific areas that were uneven. Also as we ran out of time, we began to only focus on one half of the cylinder and place the blocks vertically instead. Although this wasn’t as stable as horizontally, it enabled us to increase the height much quicker.
The finished product:
Not as tall as the other group’s, however with a very large circumference that was quite sturdy. No group’s tower reached the ceiling, however the constructions with smaller bases managed to get taller.
Demolition: As we began to take blocks out, we noticed the structure was still just as sturdy and strong as it was at the beginning. However as more and more were taken out, the structure began to collapse in when key load-‐bearing blocks were taken away. For example here, if the indicated block had been taken a ! away then all the blocks above it would collapse.
Reflection: I believe we had many good techniques during this project, the use of spacing the blocks turned out to be very beneficial for time and the amount of materials used. However the tower wasn’t as tall as any of us had first envisaged, I believe if we had made the base much smaller we could have been able to build upwards far quicker as there would have been less space to cover. Our opening on the side also rendered useless because we had no roof to our construction so that was definitely a large enough opening for the dinosaur. If I could do this project again I would have made the circumference of the base much smaller in order to be able to rapidly build upwards instead of outwards.
WEEK 2
STUDIO SESSION 2
This week’s task was to construct a tower using thin strips of balsa wood and superglue. The tower was to be made as tall as possible while using as little materials as we could. Our original plan:
This was to simply create multiple pyramids with flat tops, each slightly smaller than the last, and to place them on top of one another but on different angles. Placing each structure this way meant that the load would be evenly distributed throughout the triangle and not only focused on the corners.
Problems:
As soon as we started constructing the first piece we realised the strips or balsa wood were too thin and weak to stay stable just on their own. We started off doing just the two small crossbars on each corner but it wasn’t exactly enough to stay completely stable. In the end, each face of the structure had two small reinforcements at the bottom, then a larger diagonally across to prevent the top half from collapsing.
Construction:
The construction of this tower was much more precarious than last week’s task, the individual strips of balsa wood were very fragile and building with them took much more care than the MDF blocks we used last week.
Problems: After the second instalment was added to the tower, we noticed that it wasn’t exactly centred with the base. In an attempt to correct this, we placed the third instalment in line with the base and not the one it was actually resting on. This would have centralised the load and hopefully restabilised it. The finished product: Our tower once again wasn’t as tall as others, but it was in the end rather sturdy with the reinforcements we used.
Others’ work: This group used a much simpler structure. This took less time to construct, which then enabled them to get much higher.
The face of each section held a much simpler design, which proved to be equally effective.
This group’s design also shows that it was not crucial to try and keep the load off the edges alone, which shows the change in direction of each segment was not necessary. Demolition: Our structures could not take much weigh at all as the material used was extremely weak and lightweight. When a book was applied to the top of our structure, the strips of wood on the edges collapsed in on themselves, which caused the entire structure to fall to the ground. Reflection: This week I learned that simplicity is key; it is much more effective to have a simple and well thought out structure rather than a complicated poorly planned one. If I could do this project again, I would have started off with a larger base to allow for the segments to get smaller each time. I would have also pre-‐planned the design of each face of every segment to ensure a simple yet reliable structure.
References for weeks 1 and 2: -‐ eLearning modules -‐ ‘Building Construction Illustrated’, Francis D.K Ching -‐ Theatre sessions
Glossary:
-‐ Masonry – The building of structures from individual unites laid together and bound by mortar
-‐ Point Load – A great load on a specific point on a structure -‐ Compression – When an external load pushes on a structural member -‐ Tension – When an external load pulls on a structural member -‐ Beam – A long structure used to support the roof or floor of a building -‐ Structural joint – A point that holds separate structural members together -‐ Stability – The state of being stable -‐ Frame – A rigid structure that keeps a building or structure together -‐ Bracing – Serves to brace a structure -‐ Column – A vertical load bearing structure