Towards material-informed tectonics

Abstract

This thesis introduces, demonstrates, and implements a unified computational design framework for material distribution modeling that enables the production of geometrically complex, materially heterogeneous, and functionally graded objects, across scales, media, and platforms. Receiving user-defined performance mappings as input, the workflow generates and evaluates instructions for designated fabrication systems, informed by the extrinsic constraints presented by the hardware and the intrinsic characteristics embedded in the materials utilized. As a proof of concept to the generalizable approach, three novel design-to-fabrication processes within the framework are introduced with material and materialization precedents and implemented through computational and robotic platforms: implicit modeling for the fabrication of photopolymers, trajectory optimizing for the fabrication of water-based material, and toolpath planning for the fabrication of fiber-based material. Titled Material-informed Tectonics, the framework extends the domain of parametric design processes from geometry to material, expands the potential application of volumetric material modeling techniques beyond high resolution multi-material 3D printing systems, and bridges between the virtual and the physical by integrating material information into the tectonic relationship between manufactured objects and manufacturing methods; thereby outlining an approach towards a synthesis of material properties, computational design, digital fabrication, and the environment.