The construction of a monumental dome without the use of external iron chains or traditional centering was the enormous challenge of Filippo Brunelleschi in the cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence. In order to demonstrate the feasibility of his proposal and lead the construction, he was based on a large -scale wooden model, which played a fundamental role in the examination of proportions, the interlocking ribs and the innovative arrangement of bricks using the “A Spina Pesce” (Heringbone) system. As an essential technical instrument, this model, which is still exhibited in the Museo Dell'opera del Duomo in Florence, led the master builder throughout the farmer and established itself as a pioneering example of the value of models in architectural planning, constructive communication and experimentation.
In the course of history, various architects have used models as fundamental instruments for the development of their projects. Antoni GaudÃ, for example, was extensively based on physical models to design the complex and organic forms of the Sagrada FamÃlia, whereby the portal models and plaster forms were used to examine the load distribution and structure geometry. In the 20th century, the model with the advent of modernity achieved an artistic and experimental status that was examined by architects such as Le Corbusier and Carlo Scarpa who used it as a real material laboratory – a space in which architectural theory faced physicality and enabled sensory experiments and material examinations.
Nowadays, the materials are often defined on the screen in an increasingly digital world, since the tactile dimension, which is fundamental for the architecture, lacks. However, models continue to offer a tactile counterpoint that combines imagination and materiality in such a way that no rendering can be achieved. Prototypes enable architects to test unconventional ideas, to explore the subtleties of physical textures and to rethink how digital visions are translated into real environments. A remarkable example of this approach [ark] Magazine and his online presence ark.sto.com. Under the heading kaleidoscope [ark] The editors invited them to design their digital model and to transform it into a physical installation on a full scale.
You+Pea, an architectural studio founded by Sandra Youkhana and Luke Caspar Pearson, examines the integration of video game technologies into the architectural design and promotes new forms of participation in the city building. In addition to the development of architectural interventions and virtual worlds, the studio leads the Video game urbanism Initiative at the Bartlett School of Architecture, which developed into a master program that is dedicated to the cinematic and video game architecture. Regarding this challenge launched by Sto, Sandra Youkhana explains: “We wanted to examine how we can represent the layers of virtual materials through physical. In virtual rooms, materials are often of paper paste. We were interested in giving depth, light and shadow of a specific presence.”
With the digitized material library of Sto-consisting of high-resolution physically based rendering (PBR)-Texturen-Hatte, the London Studio Access to real-time visualization tools, which made it possible for them to quickly ittery and test ideas with almost photorealistic precision. With the games engine software, they were able to immediately set the surfaces and lighting effects and compress the time between the concept and prototype. “The main advantage of digital materials and real-time rendering software is the ability to quickly change and test the materials,” adds Luke Pearson. “This flexibility helps research different concepts and makes the gap between experiment and end product much smaller.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzxlzcqu9ek
The final model, which consisted of 3D-specific insulation materials, coatings and cladding materials, was measured as hollowed-out cubes with 1.2 meters, which were divided into three different zones: and a external Reference of traditional architecture; a Inner Evociting digital aesthetics; And a dramatic cut in which these two universes meet. This intermediate zone became a physical translation of the digital game logic, in the technical concepts of the world of the architectural render through plaster reliefs, CNC panels and metallic coatings – and the engineering virtual worlds back into concrete architecture.
Each of these areas in the physical installation corresponded to a typical “map” used in the creation of digital materials. The color card was used at various points, whereby certain colors convert digital chromatic data into physical pigments. The surrounding card was reproduced by an in -depth plaster surface, whereby internal shadows were emphasized similar to digital rendering. The normal card appeared in CNC facade panels with a metallic purple finish and refer to the standard colors of this technology. The metallic map was shown with black -colored soil coatings and simulated the degree of reflection typical of virtual environments. Finally, the shift card in panels was translated with three -dimensional textures to show how digital parameters can be physically manipulated in order to create depth and relief.
The project is more than a demonstration of material options and also illuminated a new type of cooperation. Since Sto not only delivers products, but acted as a creative partner and enabler of this architectural intervention, the feedback loop between the designer and manufacturer became more extensive, liquid and ultimately enabled an innovative, unexpected result. “It indicated a new type of dialogue between architects and those that produce the materials,” notes Sandra. “We were able to go back and forth with digital rehearsals and laboratory events to achieve effects that seemed impossible.”
The further development of digital modeling technologies and real-time simulations must develop so-called digital twins pre-driven-precise virtual representations of physical objects, systems or buildings that are able to include and continuously update performance data. In architecture, digital twins, design, operating and maintenance processes promise to optimize and offer interactive visualizations and predictive analyzes. Despite their enormous potential, these digital experiences still lack fundamental aspects: the tactile and sensory dimension, the unpredictability, such as physical materials, for example, and the complexity of real spatial interactions. The lack of these properties underlines the importance of experiences such as models on a full yardstick, which complement virtual simulations by enabling direct experimenting with texture, light, depth and scale, which has not yet been able to completely reproduce a digital simulacrum.
The Kaleidoscope project materialized digital layers not only in a concrete architectural installation, but also suggested a critical reflection on the specificities of digital materials, which, as the authors determine, have different properties that cannot necessarily be found in the physical world. As you confirm: “We wanted to celebrate the special properties of the digital material that differ from a physical.” The installation was issued as part of the STO [ark] Platform, which is established as an experiment, which not only examined material options, but also expanded the limits of the design by originally transforming virtual tools into a concrete and sensory spatial language.
This article is part of the Archdaily topics: Rumoring materials: techniques, applications and life cycleProudly presented by Sto.
Sto sponsors this topic to emphasize the importance of digitized materials for the architectural design. The high-quality PBR files, which were shown in a case study with the architecture company You+Pea based in London, offer architects precisely tools for self-confident decisions from concept to execution. This approach bridges virtual and physical areas and supports a more precise and efficient design.