Laboratory for Integrative Design

The Livewire project was completed in order to provide customized, innovative seating solutions for an event hosted by Makespace for an Inventures Canada conference. The final result emerged from an iterative digital process which explored a range of possible design outcomes resulting from various combinations of ruled-surface-based toolpaths. These toolpaths were executed by an ABB IRB 2600 industrial robot fitted with a custom hot-wire cutting tool. The tool consists of an aluminum armature or “bow” holding a thin, electrically heated nichrome wire under tension.

Traditionally, customization and automation have been seen as mutually exclusive approaches to production. Livewire incorporates industrial robotics to build a vocabulary of customized formal and surface effects used in the production of furniture for the private event. This vocabulary incorporates the limits and constraints of the robotic positioning and tooling and can therefore be applicable for future experimentation. Demonstrated is an approach to developing a catalogue of surface grammars that can be quickly deployed for use in the production of objects and surfaces in EPS foam. In this instance, the work demonstrates how a design brief for event seating can be creatively reinterpreted into a series of unique sculptural objects using generative scripts and automated construction processes. The approach outlined above leverages a rapidly deployable technique, readily available materials, and high levels of customization towards a workflow which can be easily adapted for future use. This workflow allows the designer to incorporate the interactions between tooling and material for aesthetic and performative effect while eliminating the need for construction drawings.

Further research will involve investigating how this process can be leveraged for use with other materials through the development of molds for casting material such as concrete, or adaptation to other forms of end-of-arm robotic tooling such as bandsaws. This research will continue to investigate the potential for customized surfaces and emergent material effects, as well as how the vocabulary of surface textures developed through these initial tests could allow for a range of technical and ornamental functions related to aesthetic, acoustic, and environmental performance.

Float is an installation that was proposed for the Edmonton Zoo’s Festival of Light. It is an otherworldly experience that makes use of environmentally friendly materials and energy-efficient lighting methods. The installation is an immersive field of swaying, jellyfish-like lamps that are 3D-printed with glow-in-the dark biodegradable plastic. The network of organic forms was parametrically generated and is suspended from above and is illuminated by motion activated LED lights that flicker on and off while visitors wander around this labyrinth of strange, glowing creatures.

The installation of Float is meant to be easily deploy-able and disassembled, and will require minimal maintenance during the festival. Glow in the dark materials and motion activated LED’s eliminate the need for timers or switches. If an LED loses power, it can be easily replaced as the lights are removable and fit snugly in the lamps.

TEXTURA, focuses on bridging the natural phenomena of light and texture through a playful structure that invites all ages to wander through. Edmonton, being the northernmost city in North America with a population over a million, has the opportunity to witness the northern lights at select times. Therefore, the light component of the installation emulates the mesmerizing washes of colour that occur in the sky by using LED Lighting. The second component abstracts the many textures that occur in nature as a way of engaging different sensory experiences such as touch and sight.

Whether it’s the shell of an armadillo or the grassy context that surrounds it, the assortment of textural panels can spark intrigue and curiosity for all. Ultimately, the installation celebrates the advances of technology and fabrication by exploring themes of nature.

The Meridiem project was created for the winter Zoominesence festival of light hosted by the Edmonton Valley Zoo. The goal of the project was to create an interactive light installation which communicated a theme surrounding the environmental stewardship that the zoo strives for. In this, the project was designed using solely recyclable, recycled, and energy efficient materials – the main material being 3d extruded recycled plastics and bio plastics.

The design concept also speaks to this theme of environmentalism with the following statement:

Trees are integral to the worldwide ecosystem. Apart from aiding in flood prevention, purifying our air, filtering our water, and providing a buffer against climate change, trees are home to approximately 60,000 diverse species. Even with this knowledge, deforestation due to logging, agricultural plantations, and mining continues to be a problem. Orangutans, giant pandas, rhinos, and the Asian elephant are just a few of hundreds of endangered species due to deforestation. Removing trees thins the forest canopy which is meant to block sun rays. This disruption leads to extreme temperature swings that are harmful to plants and animals. Many animals, insects, and plants lose their habitats and may become endangered or go extinct. Without trees, climate change and species depletion become a serious reality.

Meridiem asks us to rediscover the beauty of trees and re-evaluate our relationship with them. The installation will consist of three flared columns which connect at the top to form a canopy for zoo goers to walk through. The canopy will is lit with colour-changing LEDs. Proximity sensors allow the lighting to shift in response to the movement of visitors around the installation. This symbolizes how human interaction can change our environment and signify how our presence makes an impact. This impact can be positive or negative, the choice is ours.

Calgary’s heavily-centralized workforce and sprawling city has been formative in the establishment of a notably reclusive and sedentary transit culture, which has significant repercussions to our mental, physical, and financial health. This culture has perpetuated itself through the design of our transit stations, which have become non-places centered purely on parking cars and moving people. The impending implementation of self-driving vehicles brings both threats and opportunities for the transit station as one of the last shared urban experiences.

Brentwood station currently represents the standard outer-city station typology: large amounts of parking, disconnected from its surrounding single family residential neighbourhood, with little community connection or after-hours use. Our vision of the 2050 transit hub uses Brentwood as a case study for the “station as destination” model, which leverages the capability of near-future autonomous vehicle technology to restructure train stations as spaces of social experience and enhanced intermodal efficiency.