AN ARCHITECTURE OF EPHEMERALITYRC2, Bartlett GADBook 1 University College London

Cindy Charisa Rukmani Thangam

CONTENTS

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PHENOMENA STUDY: CRYSTALLIZATION WITH POLARIZATION AS AN INSTRUMENT

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A study of different shapes, patterns and configurations of crystals formed through the crystallization of epsom salt solution

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A study of different shapes, patterns and configurations of crystals formed through the crystallization of epsom salt solution

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Augmented crystal growth study using sugar crystals

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Sugar Crystal Clusters

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Crystals of ice showing dendritic pattern under a polarizer

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Mould designs to assist growth of crystals

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Mould designs for assist growth of crystals - crevices and protrusions provide potential nuclei points for crystal growth while the roughness of the surface enable faster growth of said crystals

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Mould before crystal growth

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Moulds showing differentiated surface treatment and heat treatment for assisted and enunciated growth

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Growth of copper sulphate crystals on a heated mould

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POLARIZATION

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Polarization is the property of a wave to oscillate in more than one direction. A polarizer limits the passage of the wave perpendicular to the direction of its polarization.Hence the process of polarization requires a polarizer(below) and a polarized light(page 17) When a birefringent material is between these polarizers interference patterns and colours are observed

THE PROCESS OF POLARIZATION

The interference colours change with respect to the rotation of either of the polarizers

16

Polarized light passing through a birefringent material is split into two components - ordinary and extraordinary waves. This results in intereference patternsExamples of birefringent materials are plastic and crystals such as ice

Point of note: Ice is birenfringent while water isn’t. This property enables better understanding of processes such as melting and also areas of relative stress.

17

The light from an LCD screen is polarized light and hence it could be used to observe the effect of polarization in a birefringent material

Please place an LCD screen (smart phone/ipad) here and observe through the polarizer on page 15. The rotation of the polarized light by rotating the LCD screen causes change in the polarization pattern

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Patterns created during ice crystal formation under a polarized light and through a polarizer

1919

Archiglace or the architecture using ice looks to understand the performitivity and poetics of ice through two main projects - Inclusions, an installation at Musee National Des Beaux-Arts du Quebec and Musee De Glace.

Through these projects the materiality and the possibilities of ice are explored and understood

ARCHIGLACE

2020

Ice is frozen fluidity and when it freezes, it takes on material abilities such as strength. Our Installation looked to bring forth the ability of ice to act as a structural element while still leaving room for flexibility. The design is a miscellany of components that form a coherent structure as the sprayed water on it freezes and glues them together. These components are subject to environmental factors such as wind, enabling the final aggregation of the components as a variable. The components itself was of materials such as paper that became solid with freezing. The resultant form would be reminiscent of an ice cloud taking shape as and how the ice freezes.

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Understanding and developing of design by allowing the material to achieve its shape as a result of its interaction with water and rigidity through subsequent freezing.

Shapes were designed to maximize potential for interesting ice formations.

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Through material and design tests, the form of the paper components arrived at to maximize freezing was found remarkably similar to feather patterns created during rapid freezing of ice.

The feather-type pattern of the paper structure enabled increased transmission of water, thus providing more surface area for ice while subsequently resulting in increased rigidity of overall form

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Real-time tests by freezing paper in Canada at a temperature of -20C

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The completed installation achieved its final form through the interaction of the various paper components, cemented by the freezing of ice and continually modified due to the presence of wind and gravity

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The hairy configurtion of the paper components enable icicle type creation of ice.

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The final form achieved a character of rigidity which was inherently absent in its mother materials

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An architecture exploiting the temporal nature of ice to change itself, creating a visually and spatially dynamic experience. An architecture that seems to be one with the environment, showing changes in itself with respect to the change in climate: Budding and Blossoming

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Sequence of images showing the change in the environment as the river freezes and thawes with respect to the climate change throughout the year.

Site : Bae de Beauport on the river St Lawrence, Quebec city, Quebec

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EXPERIMENTS WITH ICE

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Sequence of images showing the changing behaviour of inclusions embedded in ice as it melts under inflence of external forces

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Sequence of images showing the changing behaviour of inclusions embedded in ice as it melts under inflence of external forces

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Progress through controlled experiments by using lasercut paper as inclusionsPatterns designed so as to encourage or curb forseen behaviour during melting process.

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Sequence of images showing the changing behaviour of lasercut inclusions embedded in ice as it melts under inflence of external forces and study of variants to the theorized behaviour

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DETAILED STUDY OF BEHAVIOUR OF ICE UNDER POLARIZATION

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Sequence of images showing changes in interference patterns on a thin sheet of ice with each rotation of a polarized filter

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Detail of interference colours and polarization patterns on ice as seen through a polarized filter.

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FORM MODULATION THROUGH PRINCIPLES OF POLARIZATION

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Employing the concept of polarization a grasshopper definition was developed that allowed a surface to deform and change with respect to the incident ray.

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Studies of form modulation form simple surfaces to complex surfaces also showing different ways of deformation

Simple surfaceReflection

Simple surfaceRefraction

Twisted surfaceRefraction

Complex surfaceRefraction

Multiple surfacesRefraction

source of ray from a defined curve

Multiple surfacesReflection

source of ray from the bounding box of the surfaces irself

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Reflection deformation on a surface due to different levels of light.

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Refraction deformation on a surface due to different levels of light.

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Employing the concept of polarization a grasshopper definition was modiefied to allow solid to deform and change with respect to the incident ray.

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Visualizations showing modulated forms from to a simple ribbon and a cube(Left to right) to more complex forms as a result of digital polarization

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A digitally polarized surface

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Understanding the concept and effect of polarization, studies were conducted to analyse the possibility of predicting the melting process through the aforementioned phenomena. The fact that ice loses its birenfringence is put to use to graphically map the melting of ice through its change in colour and consequently, the loss of colour as it becomes water.

Sequence of images show melting process of polarized ice and its gradual loos of pattern and colour

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EMPLOYING PRINCIPLES OF POLARIZATION IN DESIGN CONFIGURATION AND STRUCTURAL STABILTY.

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Study of change in individual and overall form of the material components as how the ice melts also in relation to external forces

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Conceptual drawing showing change in individual and overall form of the material components as how the ice melts also in relation to external forces

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Digital studies depicting gradual blossoming of form as a result of melting of ice as studied previously in physical experiments.