Camp Winston Sensory Yurt Furnishings | Fabrication and Testing

With the design finalized, the team has officially begun fabrication. One of the biggest challenges has been determining in the right amount of kerfing to balance structural stability with the desired curve radius and material thickness. After thorough testing, we’ve determined the proper CNC intervals and cut depths to achieve a smooth curve while keeping the piece strong. To ensure smooth, timely installation up north, we completed as much fabrication in-house as possible before heading to site.

We sprayed the kerfed pieces with water and used an iron to increase the flexibility of the wood while minimizing breakage.

2023 Winter Stations - First Canoe Completed!

 With the help of both the design and fabrication teams, the first canoe was completed successfully! This is one of the smaller modules of the project, and the team is currently working on CNC cutting the remaining components, and assembling the rest of the canoes. 

2023 Winter Stations - 1:1 Scale Prototype

 This week the 2023 Winter Stations design and fabrication teams created their first 1:1 scale prototype. The team used the intended material for the project, as well as the intended rivet connections. Additionally, the components were cut using the CNC router, allowing the team to get a realistic idea of construction time and method. 

From this prototype, some flaws were found with the interlocking connections, especially small gaps and openings caused by misalignment. From here, the designers can fine-tune the model digitally, in order to account for these imperfections realized through the testing process. 

2023 Winter Stations - Early Stage Prototyping Version 2

Based on the Version 1 Prototype from last week, the 2023 Winter Stations design team was able to reshape the aggregated parts and components, in order to create a canoe-like shape which is continuous from top to bottom. 

The Intention:

The project emulates the form of a canoe through a series of aggregated parts and components. Aggregations are connected structurally in a way which depicts ripples in the water. 

Expressing Radiance:

The design intends to express radiance in its form and spatial interaction. Each canoe aggregation will be arranged in a radial formation, creating a dynamic series of shells which protects visitors from the harsh winter. 

Version #2: 

After some revision, the canoe aggregates were resized and reshaped in order to ensure that the 'ripple' connections may be utilized from top to bottom of the structure. This prototype explored the option of varying the interlocking circles' size to create a canoe-like shape. 

2023 Winter Stations - Early Stage Prototyping Version 1

 This week, the 2023 Winter Stations design team began creating scaled prototypes in order to test and comprehend some of the project's tectonic elements or components. Modelmaking and prototyping using materials such as MDF or chipboard, as well as digital fabrication tools like laser cutting, allows for a certain degree of flexibility and accuracy while negotiating the design details at an early stage. 

The Intention:

The project emulates the form of a canoe through a series of aggregated parts and components. Aggregations are connected structurally in a way which depicts ripples in the water. 

Expressing Radiance:

The design intends to express radiance in its form and spatial interaction. Each canoe aggregation will be arranged in a radial formation, creating a dynamic series of shells which protects visitors from the harsh winter. 

Version #1: 

The first prototype of the canoe aggregation proves that careful consideration for the curvilinear panels is required. This model identified issues with the interlocking structural components and demonstrated challenges in creating the canoe shape using these components. 

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: 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.

Thermochromic Testing

Here are a series of tests the Flux team developed to verify and validate appropriate types of materials, thicknesses, and textures. Not one to shy away from experimentation, the Flux team sought to enhance the thermochromic performance by adding texture to the tessellation of panels thereby encouraging additional body contact.

...And no, we did not enlist hand models for this...

Vivak Tests



Tyvek Tests



Textile Tests



Bristol Test



1mm Acrylic Test

And the Prototyping Resumes...

After a bit of a hiatus for the end of the Fall term, the New Year, new baby, and new term have taken a bit of adjusting to.  That certainly did not mean that the [R]ed[U]x Lab team went into hibernation! Several new projects have been in development over the past couple of months and here are a few that have come out as prototypes for potential upcoming Nuit Blanche installations.  We wish all the teams good luck as they apply!

Hanging out

Progress Report on the CUTMR installation

With respect to the development of the membrane, it has been slow, but positive. The functional properties of the various details are becoming more robust, and we are beginning to test the actual capabilities of the swath- how it deforms, how it breaks, how it spans when it is suspended and hanging.

Some of our experiments:

Manual testing

Contrasting the two languages of the installation

Ribbing

Setting up for the static tests

Testing under lit conditions.

Attempting point deformations in the z-axis

We anticipate some doubly-curved yumminess when the swath grows in our following trial!