richard watsonmasters thesis risd 2012EXHIBITION HOUSEFABRICATION SUPPLEMENT

index

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O. overview01. armature / lattice02. lateral / steel 03. connection / disconnection04. infl ection / entry

richard watsonmasters thesis risd 2012EXHIBITION HOUSEFABRICATION SUPPLEMENT

index

Though the thesis deliberately skirted conversations that were purely “tectonic” I feel that it is important to confront evidence of the idea of building. This admission is obviously supplementary, and is really only useful in absence of the artifact. The idea that subtlety extends temporality depends greatly on experience. And with this in mind it becomes necessary to fi ll in any gaps that an architectural portfolio like “Index” may not address. This supplement is a collection of shop drawings, sketches, mock-ups and visualizations

that describe the nature Exhibition House and its making. These images were fundamental in transforming ideas into explorations, instructing fabricators, sending information to automated processes, or simply to start a conversation about something yet unrealized. No doubt some of these images will seem ordinary or tedious, but when read as a supplement to “Index”, they should narrate the relationship between individual elements within Exhibition House just as “Index” narrates the relationship between diff erent artifacts throughout the thesis.

O. overview

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This set of drawings contain cut sheets for CNC milling, and visualizations which describe the process of constructing each lattice. Dowels connect each of the lattice intersections, making the system expandable. The plates top and bottom provide the resistance to tension when the system is under pressure, holding each lattice in its fi xed position. Although the dimensions of the individual components are limited to 8 feet (corresponding to the dimension of plywood sheets), the system can multiply in a single direction endlessly (horizontal). The dimensions of the built lattices relate to the specifi city of the site.

01. armature / lattice

(3)

(2) (2)

(1)

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These shop drawings were sent to a steel fabricator who cut a kit of parts. The cut pieces were then welded together. The fabricated components hold each lattice in place, giving shape to the enclosure, as well as providing lateral stability.

02. lateral / steel

101 - 3/4”

(1) (1) (2)

(4) (4)

89 - 3/4”

67 - 3/4”

9.75°

19.40°

55.0°

17.50°

17.50°

80 - 1/16” 82 - 1/16”

28”23”

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89 - 3/4”

64 - 3/4”

81 - 1/16”

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Computer visualizations provided a platform from which to send cut sheets to automated systems. Before these drawings became CNC fi les, they were used to shape and place the connections between steel and lattice. Three connection points at the top and bottom of each lattice connect by means of male / female spacers shaped to account for the contour of the steel form.

03. connection / disconnection

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These were the only drawings to serve solely as a conversation topic, as they were produced after a full scale mock-up. Canvas sheets were hand sewn to cover the entryway on either side of the enclosure. Steel cable is tied off to one side, the other to HOAS. The weight of HOAS pulls the canvas inward, infl ecting each entry of the enclosure.

04. infl ection / entry

lbs

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thesis advisor

secondary advisor

almin prsic

andy tower