FLUX Under Construction

Let's not forget all the work, effort, and manpower required to make Flux come together. Here is a snapshot on how the students from the Department of Architectural Science make these types of projects happen. Given the situation, the team was pretty much nomadic and occupied the DFZ, Gladstone, and even another program's shop.

Paper Shingle Testing

Sometimes it is refreshing and satisfying to go back to basics and make models by hand... though laser cutters, CNC routers, and 3D printing certainly make life easier, recalling the toil and inherent eccentricities of handmade models is a way of keeping the hands and mind busy... or it just makes us all appreciate just how much we rely on fabrication technologies!

Flux: Additional Thermochromic Pigment Testing

Here are a few more tests of the textured photochromic pigments used by the Flux team for the 2016 Come Up To My Room installation. The team has determined a quality in the texture of the material through their vacuum form tests - now it looks like they are investigating the colour palette and ensuring that it has the most impact when seen... even by colourblind members.

Flux Panel Prototypes

Here are a few images of the Flux team developing a prototype of the bar for their 2016 Come Up To My Room installation. Ever the resourceful students, the team used cardboard and paper to get a sense of the structure and panels given the entire portfolio of workshops in the university are currently unavailable.

Structural Prototype

Given that the Flux installation for the 2016 Come Up To My Room is in the high-traffic second floor bar area, the team had to also examine the structural limits and design of the project. Despite the lack of an operable CNC router (long story...) the team was resourceful (and patient) in making a mockup with cardboard.

 

Flux: Surface Texture Testing

Once the Flux team developed and validated that the photochromatic properties of the components worked, they began focusing on developing the texture on the surface of the piece. Using the vacuum former and experimenting with various materials and forms, the team developed a texture that would be both engaging to visitors while retaining efficacy in the heat transfer for a noticeable change.