Simplified for Resilience: A parametric investigation into a bespoke joint system for bamboo

Abstract

Coastal communities face extreme weather conditions, total devastation is a well precedented fact, rather than a work of fiction. Close proximity to the open water and the enormous forces that develop in and around the water, such as hurricanes and tsunamis, wreck havoc on coastal structures. Due to ill-constructed buildings, some are less equipped to handle severe weather, than others. Research reveals that most of the structural failures are related to improper construction methodologies or human error. Exploration to find a building methodology that reduces human errors in the building process by taking advantage of computational tools, and using a renewable building material was the aim of this research.

The thesis investigates the creation of a structural module in bamboo, a lightweight, but strong material. Using bamboo as the material, in an infill hexagon configuration, based on the Honeycomb Tube Architecture (HTA) creates a fractal geometry construction and strength that give a building system more reliability than the standard building processes. Furthermore, the infill hexagon, when tested in steel, broke in a certain pattern, enabling the occupants to predict the final point of failure, turning the fractal geometry into a fractal dynamic. If the failure of the geometry is not catastrophic, the bamboo can all be replaced and the building structure can be restored.

The organic nature of bamboo results in cane sizes being irregular and unpredictable, this inconsistency is the driver behind the design development. Customised responsive joints, for the bamboo to form a fractal hexagonal geometry structure are created using parametric software and prototyped using three-dimensional printing technology. Parametrics give control based on the programmed relationships between the differentiations of each unique bamboo connection, and fabricating each joint as needed, eliminates any excess waste and allows the joints materiality to be determined as required.

This thesis introduces the groundwork for the implementation of “on-site” manufacturing, by utilising the power and performance of parametric software with the future technology of bespoke “printed” joints – a flexible system that can respond to organic materials and unknown conditions.