NOVA | Onsite Construction

The installation went smoothly and to plan. The team erected the station at Woodbine beach on February 15th, 2024. Even with the adverse weather conditions, the team did a great job of securing the footings into the sand, and connecting the station's structure onto the lifeguard stand concisely. Although the wind and temperature made the installation more difficult than expected, NOVA landed on the beach on time, and in its anticipated form.

Woodbine Beach

Installed Just in Time Before the Snowstorm

NOVA | Textiles

Students explored stitching variations on 4 different types of materials to ensure the tension was correct with the bolt connections. Felt, canvas, and nylon were all tested on to ensure that the layout was sufficient. Because of the low-cost of the felt, it was also used for practicing the stitching.

NOVA | Assembling One Module: Fabric, Pipe, and Nodes

With the layout, textiles, piping, and nodes figured out, the time has come to assemble one module at full-scale with final materials. This will be important to gauge whether the project is ready to be assembled in its entirety. A group of students assembled one module seamlessly and with no complications. Now the team is ready to fully put NOVA together to prepare for the final installation next month.

Connecting Piping to Node

Securing Top Node to Complete Module Frame

Completed Module Frame

NOVA | 3D-Printing

Now with the final form of NOVA realized through renders, it is time to begin the construction phase. To test out the newly established structural layout, different scaled prototypes were created. Two 1:1 3D-printed node prototypes were made to explore the different connection strategies for fabric, piping, and hardware connections, as this is crucial component for the structure's success.

The first node prototype was printed at 3mm thickness and was used with the piping script to match the material.

The second node prototype was printed at 6mm thick, and was used to explore the connection between the bolts

and the fabric. The third node was also 6mm thick, and was more specifically for testing the threading performance

between the bolt and screw holes embedded in the node. 

Upon testing, the nodes were completed and in working condition. The process for printing and sandblasting all

final nodes has taken 3 weeks for the 30 prints.

To test with the scaled nodes, wood dowels and electrical conduit from the DAS shop were used. This was to gauge the structural integrity of the structure with the scaled configuration nodes

Render vs Reality for the node and conduit connections.

2023 Winter Stations - Onsite Assembly

A group of students collaborated to build the structure on site. Despite the adverse cold weather conditions posing a formidable challenge, the students exhibited unwavering teamwork to accomplish the construction within the given day.

Protest in the Park - Fabrication

 The Protest in the Park team has begun fabricating the display structure in the DAS Wood Shop. Assembly starts with connecting CNC cut components into individual modules. These modules will join together on-site for more efficient transport and fabrication. 

Fabrication Images: 

Digital Media Experience Lab Locker Room

One of the projects the [R]ed[U]x Lab team had the privilege to participate in was the renovation of a space at the back of the Digital Media Experience Lab. Converting it from a small office to a locker room for the facility staff as well as students from the Masters of Digital Media program. Storing everything from coats and backpacks to microprocessors and printing filament, the facility had to securely store materials, make accessible resources for the lab, and inspire a sense of creative innovation. The [R]ed[U]x Lab team led by Liam, Arnel, and Erik pulled off a fairly ambitious proposal.