USE OF VERNACULAR MATERIALS AND

CONSTRUCTION IN COMPUTATIONAL
DESIGN
A PROJECT REPORT
Submitted by

NISHANTH.M.P

in partial fulfillment for the award of the degree

of

BACHELOR OF ARCHITECTURE
(INTERIOR DESIGN)

MEASI ACADEMY OF ARCHITECTURE, CHENNAI

ANNA UNIVERSITY: CHENNAI 600 025

OCTOBER 2015

LIST OF FIGURES
Figure 1. Comparison of traditional weaving and digital weaving.
Figure 2. Sensing the structural behavior of a woven object
Figure 3. Conversion from traditional weaving to digital weaving through
computational reasoning
Figure 4. Weaving with bricks.
Figure 5. Weaving with wood for shelter construction.
Figure 6. Material behavior in the interwoven paper beam
Figure 7. Comparison between traditional weaving using continuous materials
Figure 8. Diagram showing loss of communication between building phases.
Information on the vertical axis vs time on the horizontal axis
Figure 9. Standard contemporary masonry building in the southern
Mediterranean region, Malta
Figure 10... Grand Harbour Region, Malta
Figure 11. Sassi di Matera, Basilicata, Italy
Figure 12. Stone construction
Figure 13. Lady Gordon Chapel at Ta Braxia Cemetery designed by Gothicists
Messers Pearson and executed by the illustrious Emanuele L Galizia in 1893
Figure 14. Semicircular arch under its own weight
Figure 15. "As hangs the flexible line, so but inverted will stand the rigid arch
Figure 16. Springs used to simulate funicular systems in computation.

Figure 17. shell structure study

Figure 18. .shell with two edges fixed
Figure 19. the possibility of RhinoVault to compute singular shells
Figure 20. Diagrams showing a comparison of results between Kangaroo in red
and RhinoVault in blue.
Figure 21. Input Curves controlling exterior and connection edges
Figure 22. Five different options with varying spring lengths and load cases. .
Figure 23. Screen captures from FEM Analysis showing compression in red and
white; tension in blue and green.
Figure 24. The settlement of Sassi, in Matera,
Figure 25. Thermal mass benefits in relation to indoor/outdoor climate
Figure 26. Solar radiation analysis in Ladybug for the 21st of December
Figure 27. Solar radiation analysis in Ladybug for the 21st of December,
00:0024:00
Figure 28. Thermal mass Strategy.
Figure 29. 3D Image processing of 2D Xray CT scans
Figure 30. stone wall masonary
Figure 31. Stone cut in a quarry in Malta in relationship to the human scale.
Figure 32. From left to right: Downsizing stone to desired pieces
Figure 33. Axis Industrial Robot with axes labeled
Figure 34. Position and orientation of the TCP referenced to another curve

Figure 35. Graphic visualization and RAPID code generation in the same design
environment
Figure 36. A section of an asymmetric vault in composite limestone

Figure 37. Abrasive water jet cutting processing Berea sandstone

Figure 38. Basic ruled geometry typologies
Figure 39. Various Ceiling Details
Figure 40. Details of wall
Figure 41. NurbSurface approximation and local thickening
Figure 42. Regular mesh subdivision as base geometry for tessellation.
Figure 43. Voussoir Generation Strategy applied by the Block Research Group,
ETH
Figure 44. Contact faces and Force Flow lines
Figure 45. Hexagonal tessellation with differentiated, informed local
thicknesses.
Figure 46. Script showing the Surface area, Weight and Cutting Time for every
single element.
Figure 47. Colored voussoir self supporting during assembly.
Figure 48. Embedded Ventilation functions in the local limestone of Matera,
Figure 49. Inner cut creating an air gap in the voussoir resulting in a thermal
break.
Figure 50. Voussoir tectonics: Mass customized double leaf ashlars including
air cavity and water proofing.

Figure 51. formation and transfer process

Figure 52. steps in the design of the permanent formwork
Figure 53. weaving a doibly curved surface from a 3d digital model
Figure 54. construction of drawing sets
Figure 55. construction model iso view
Figure 56. reading liner measurements while negotiating variations in material
Figure 57. Embedded Ventilation functions in the local limestone of Matera,
Figure 58. Inner cut creating an air gap in the voussoir resulting in a thermal
break.
Figure 59. joints in bamboo
Figure 60. prototype
Figure 61. mud coating
Figure 62. The form work module
Figure 63. Clay fabrication
Figure 64. creating patterns to the door
Figure 65. the process from software to manifacturing
Figure 66. The patterns been printed using machines on door