Particle-Trail

Abstract

The research project proposed by the University of Auckland team is a furniture element generated from a conceptual design created using Unity Particle System Trails. It represents a fusion of the organic with the technology of a real-time 3D digital development platform, expressed in travertine, a building material with classical antecedents. At the heart of the project, presented at Marmomac 2023, is a question and exploration. Can the inner structure of bone – which provides critical support and strength to the human skeleton – be transposed and transformed into an architectural element? Conceived as an assembly of 3D-printed components, the goal of ‘Particle-Trail’ is to exploit new technologies of subtractive manufacturing to design and fabricate furniture that can be built in natural stone, re-using any manufacturing waste generated in subsequent projects, for a more circular approach. The conceptual design is based on an approximation of the internal structure of cancellous or spongy bone, as observed through a Scanning Electron Micrograph. While compact bone makes up the hard exterior of bone, cancellous bone – characterised by its honeycomb-like structure – forms part of the interior structure of long bones and ribs, the skull, pelvic bones and vertebrae. A small portion of these small, coral-like, honeycomb structures became the foundation for the creation of particles in Unity. Through complex manipulation to explore possibilities for transformation, we created an architectural element able to function as a new model of support. Through algorithmic shaping, our cancellous structure became an arch-shaped object, which was then realised in ‘Particle-Trail’ as two arch-shaped structures – equal but opposite – the supporting structure of a table. As a modular architectural furniture element, its potential is to be scaled for use in different contexts and scenarios, providing a structure of support for the creation of varied and distinct architectural objects.