Crumpled | In Progress
Throughout time, architecture has evolved from first understanding how a material can be arranged to accomplish an inhabitable structure, and then stylizing that arrangement to be aesthetically pleasing. Furthermore, each material has embedded “requirements” as to how it must be formed, and it is from these requirements that multitudes of architectural styles have evolved. Whether it be Classical Greek and Roman architecture that stylizes post-and-beam construction, Japanese and Chinese construction which mimics the structural properties of bamboo, or the Egyptian Pyramids that gather their form from the inherent properties of stone, architecture gathers its basic aesthetics from the materials it uses. Beyond basic construction materials, the properties of materials not traditionally used for construction can be a tool for discovering new methods of creating structure and form; paper being no exception to this.
Paper is a flimsy material, but through the act of crumpling, paper can become a rigid plane with the extraordinary ability to span great distances. Through experimentation, it is the goal of this project to isolate the essential properties that are required to accomplish this spanning ability, and extrapolate those properties into traditional building materials. Traditional building materials can then be arranged using the lessons learned in crumpling paper to form an architectural structure that not only spans the great lengths observed in crumpled paper, but also aggregates to create an aesthetic form that functions well and enhances the human experience.
This is a diagram of a piece of paper used in the initial experimentation showing creases (solid), folds (dotted), ridges (black), and valleys (cyan). Through our experiments, we found that the major structural component for cantilevering paper is what we call the "Genesis Crease."
The photo shows the crimper tool we created to mechanically repeat this crease that we replicate on a daily basis with our hands.
After finding the basic structural requirements for the paper, we created a machine to manipulate each piece of paper (or floor plate) as necessary. This machine allows us to control the process while still retaining the necessary structural properties.
Located in Istanbul, the site (middle) is directly adjacent to one of the major arteries into and out of the city to the north (thick, dark line), a major pedestrian-oriented corridor to the East (perpendicular to main artery) and a densely populated neighborhood to the South. The site is also within walking distance from two universities (to the West). The numbers correspond to site panoramas seen below.
