Kinetic Transformation

Studio Project | Group Work | December 2019

Instructor: Nicholas Hoban

Team: Shujie Liu, Ran Yan

This project investigates kinetic architecture. A kinetic system encompasses an array of motions. The linear, rotation, and tensile motions serve as driving forces of a greater deployable system, allowing the flexible and adaptable space to be reconfigured under different circumstances.
The deployment of a kinetic system involves complex mechanism. From screws, hinges, to arms, the components are interlinked with each other, triggering different motions.
The kinetic structure can be a stimulus to interactions between humans and the environment. On the architectural scale, its ultimate goal is to integrate into the existing urban fabric and create space for different communal activities.

How can we speak about motions in a 2-dimensional language?

How can we speak about motions in a 2-dimensional language?
The merit of kinetic structure is embedded in the movement. Since the 19th century, artists and scientists such as Étienne-Jules Marey began to portray the motion of different mechanism. Inspired by those works, the brainstorm for a kinetic structure begins with how the geometry of lines within circles can represent the movement of the arms of a kinetic structure.

Exploded Arm Structure

Exploded Structure

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