Turbulence is fluid motion that is chaotic in time and space. It is characterized by vortices and eddies on many scales.
Turbulence can be visualized through particles that flows through the fluid of which the turbulence is active, that are emphasized by the use of light
The aim of the project is to explore the phenomena of turbulence and to create a machine, which tracks it. The device consists of two parts. First part is a pool with water and 8 water pumps which are placed according to the square grid. This grid allows to create different patterns of moving small particles inside the pool. Second part is a grid with 16 photoresistors placed according to the square grid which react to the lack of light. As particles we use rice that is casting shadows from a light source onto a plane beneath it. Then we track these patterns and created an algorithm that keeps the device always active, constantly changing from one pattern to the other.
During our exploration we realized how this phenomena shapes the environment, for example this abandoned town, Al Madam, which was shaped by wind and sand over time.
We also found this artistic installation that uses glass to visualize sand in a different perspective.
We have experimented with these different stoppers, observing what effect the distance between the stoppers and the height of the stoppers have.
These experiments have allowed us to approximate the behavior of the sand in contact with this specific geometry. So we have had some help from the computational algorithms in order to be able to explore what could possibly be some good options for the amount of stoppers on our roof, and their heights.
The conclusion of this analysis has been a total of seven stoppers at 20 centimeters of height.We also took into consideration other aspects, like solar radiation, material usage, and even distribution of the sand.
In order to determine if we could trust the results of our computational analysis we attempted to bury this final shape in a real sand experiment, and we did see the effect we were hoping to see.
During the process we realized that this architecture could help in the beach restoration projects. So we looked into the beaches most susceptible to erosion on Balearic Islands.
Coastal erosion is a serious problem for Cala Mesquida on the north of Mallorca.It is a spot that has both a lot of sand, but also aims to reduce the coastal erosion of this sand.
In order to be able to identify some good candidates for the placement of our buildings, we set some conditions.
- We projected points from the main wind direction in order to make sure that there would be direct wind.
- We did an offset from the current walkway in order to exclude the candidates that were too close to the walkway.
- We placed the geometry and made sure to avoid conflicts with the other houses, with regard to direct wind interference and the view from the window that will not be buried.
- After this we connected the houses with the new walkway.
This is how we weare able draw our structures into the new dunescape and allow them to become part of the topography of the landscape.
In order to get some idea of how much time it would take to bury a full size building we have made some calculations where we sum up the total wind that has been blown from the main wind direction over a year. We estimate that it would take approximately 4 years for the building to be completely buried.
We also expect to see some effect of thermal mass. Here we see interior and exterior temperature rise and drop in a matter of 3 days. And here we see our expected result of the sand mass on the roof. Because sand has a relatively low specific heat, we can expect it to have a stabilizing effect on the interior temperature over time.
We divided the interior spaces according to the different lighting conditions given by the sand over time, as well as the view. We place the sleeping area in the darkest spot of the house. In the middle we have the kitchen and the toilette and at the top a small living space. As you can see we tried to create the structure so that it gives the sense of converging into the lowest point of the whole architecture, bringing you directly in the middle of the sand dune. So the composition of the structure is really important.
We kept a fairly traditional scheme for the construction and used primary and secondary structure that also helped us to optimize the cnc strategy. Above that we have a fully transparent envelope and the stoppers. Since the structure is completely visible a good effort has been made to make it visually as clean as possible, for example hiding the joints of the secondary structure under the stoppers or creating slots in the middle layer of the primary structure.
