Patty & Jan (2020)
article⁄Patty & Jan (2020)
abstract⁄The construction of architecture relies on an orchestra of moving parts and components throughout the process. These components are designed for the primary loads of the ultimate resting positions, but must also accommodate for secondary loads that occur during the assembly process. Safety, budget, and timing are the most influential factors in conducting the orchestra of architectural construction and typically set the tempo. Patty Jan explore the curious and playful possibilities of secondary loads such as movement, momentum, and impact. This impractical assembly is not intended to negate practical considerations, but to elevate the field of construction above problemsolving. Patty Jan builds upon previous research into moving massive masonry elements with little energy by controlling the center of mass CoM via physical computation and innovative concrete technologies such as proprietary chemical admixtures and special lightweight additions to entrain air as well as impart high fluidity. The resulting densities of the two concrete mixtures range from onethird the density to double the density of conventional concrete. Patty Jan contributes to this ongoing research by incorporating the fourth dimension into the assembly process. Patty Jan are a partnership. They have a reciprocal relationship with one another that ensures one cannot assemble without the other. Beginning with Patty and Jan at a predetermined distance apart, a weighted tool is removed from Patty to alter the CoM and create a righting moment. Rotating along the riding surface, Patty over rotates to collide with Jan and strikes a resounding echo. The controlled impact triggers Jan first to rotate backward, rebound off its braking surface, and then counterrotate towards Patty. The two meet along their assembly surfaces in the middle and slip effortlessly into their final assembled position. The resulting performance of Patty Jan is an embedded intelligence of a theatrical assembly between two massive concrete masonry units MCMU through their momentum. Patty Jan demonstrate the ability to predict the inherent movements and autonomous assemblies of MCMUs. It extends the potential of assembly methods to be social generators such as spectacles or performances. This research is a foundation for thinking about more extensive and more complex construction choreographies that engage material as well as human bodies in the building of architecture.
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| Year |
2020 |
| Authors |
Swingle, Tyler; Zampini, Davide; Clifford, Brandon. |
| Issue |
ACADIA 2020: Distributed Proximities / Volume II: Projects |
| Pages |
130-135 |
| Library link |
N/A |
| Entry filename |
patty-jan |
