NICHOLAS CATALDO PORTFOLIO COLLECTION OF THOUGHT | ITERATION | EXECUTION

By simply making instead of thinking about an idea, you are immediately given the chance for interactive and tactile feedback from the item made. You then learn from that item and can use what you learned towards the next attempt. Architecture is exactly that.

MATERIAL INTERACTIONS

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BIOMIMICRY

ECO-MAKING

FULCRUM

DIGITAL VERNACULAR

CRITICAL PRACTICE STUDIO

ECOLOGICAL ISSUES

ADVANCED DESIGN STUDIO 1

MakeLAB

ADVANCED DESIGN STUDIO 2

TABLE OF CONTENTS

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CRITICAL PRACTICE STUDIO BIOMIMICRY

Critical practice studio was an in depth study of biomimicry. Working in teams, we dissected the organism assigned to us, the porifera. Porifera are known as the marine pore-baring sponge. The importance of studying this multicellular animal is in the knowledge obtained in learning how it reacts to its environment, how and where it exists, and how the body is structured and operates. Modeling the porifera and how it reacts to its environment have provided opportunities to explore the various aspects of the sponge’s life while also introducing several environmentally reactive systems that can be assigned to the built environment. The sponge reacts to its environment instead of separating itself from it. As architects, we need to understand this in an effort of being more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

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In order to obtain all the required information, several methods of study were conducted. These include a literature review, a model simulation, and drawing/ diagramming studies. Porifera have a porous body with no organs. They channel water unidirectionally while fi ltering and extracting nutrients and oxygen to feed itself, mature, and reproduce. Its structure, while lacking a contiguous skeletal frame, has a complex system made up of spicules and fl exible nodes that allow it to form a shape that is most benefi cial in regards to the surroundings.

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Taking the micro movements (pumping, fi ltering, etc…) of a porifera and applying those movements in an architectural context to manipulate heat, light, and air fl ow developed the overall orientation and makeup of the planned building skin. When activated the interior chamber is allowed to vent in a stack effect manner. When closed, direct ventilation occurs between interior and exterior.

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By applying the system to a building envelope, the stack effect will take place. During the heating season, warm indoor air rises through the space between the system and escapes through ventilation openings at the top. As the warm air rises, it reduces the pressure within the building, drawing cold air in through open doors and windows. The stack effect is reversed during the cooling season

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ECOLOGICAL ISSUES ECO-MAKING Directed study, discussion, readings, and thought revealed that blatant disregard for the environment and its resources has reached a toppling point. Topics such as humans impacting the environment in a disregard of its condition and the possible corrective manners to adapt and change to harness nature instead of steal and use its resources were closely looked at and considered in the development of projects that prove these errors can be overcome.

Hands on approaches were taken to visit current projects that possess qualities that use and accentuate sustainable design and practice as a tool for learning and informing others. It is in designers and clients hands to think and design in ways to promote quality and sustainable practice. By simply contributing, a voice can be heard by others to help drive a new ecologically friendly way of thinking designing and making. The designer not only doing his part but taking advantage of the opportunity to inform others to help create change is most important.

Final, hands on approaches forced us to fi nd, reclaim, and re-purpose materials that were destined for landfi lls or in a stagnant state of disrepair and forgotten. This forced thought to be given to objects that were otherwise used up. Finding purpose in new design for the raw material in itself allowed for a playful project of thinking and creativity.

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The fi rst reclaim/re-purpose project utilized an old dining room table that someone had set out by the road to dispose of. The project simply entailed splitting the top of the table along two axis’s. This created four, ninety degree corners to fi t into a corner of a room as shelving. The leftover pieces were then ripped down on the table saw and used as hangers that were fastened to the walls that the shelves attached to. Maximizing the shelf space and minimizing the amount of obstruction into the room was achieved by stacking the shelves in a non-uniform pattern.

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The second project, called the bonfi re bench, was re-purposed from an old trampoline frame and some scraps of treated lumber from a nearby construction site. The trampoline frame already possessed a radius that was conducive to bonfi re seating. Pulling the frame apart and organizing pieces until an adequate result was found was relatively simple. Some minimal cutting and welding resulted in a semicircle frame ready for seating material. The treated lumber was ripped down on the table saw into strip and then cut to length and placed along the frame.

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Single parent families, in Ann Arbor, MI, are increasing faster than ever and already hold a large percentage of the population. The project was to look at this type of housing and design a dwelling to effectively house a family in terms of comfort, effi ciency and value. In order to achieve these characteristics of the home, items such as time, ease, cost, length, and layout of construction were considered to create the home’s value. The greatest value would be achieved if all involved, not just the occupants, but also the skilled trades were affected effi ciently by the design.

In order to achieve this, a detail oriented approach was started by looking into precedents from the standpoint that history can provide infl uence for current and innovative physical details in the built environment. The precedents researched for this study revealed several sources of effi ciency in space planning and the cost effective, built form. This research then drove ideas of detail oriented fabrication for residential construction. Precise, rapid prototyping allowed for quick feedback to guide the designs forward at a favorable pace.

Details were made to understand what the research was able to unveil. Each of the precedents was looked at physically and performatively to understand an approach to the details that would carry through to the fi nal project.

Once the details were constructed, the performative content created was then to be deployed into the designing and construction of the dwelling in conjunction with the design intent of a single parent dwelling.

ADVANCED DESIGN STUDIO 2 FULCRUM

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Detail 1 Detail 2

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Detail one was pulled directly from research of the shotgun house. It focused on the idea of effi ciency. This included the use of found materials and utilizing friction fi t joint that eliminated the need for fasteners of any kind. Scrap material was harvested and glued up into three components that were then cut to fi nished parts on the CNC table. These parts were a beam, fl oor joist and fi nish fl ooring. The CNC provided more than adequate precision to create joinery that held a tolerance to make construction easy while keeping structure stable.

Detail two was driven by research of the non-orthogonal barn or “round barn.” It concentrated on axial points and effi ciency. The round barn was cost effective build and used less labor and cost to implement onto an existing farm. The center of the round barn was a hub that allowed the majority of the chores to be completed effi ciently while also utilizing the maximum amount of cattle able to feed due to their wedge shape. This led to the idea of a structure dependent on an axial point that utilized a necessary key-way piece. The key-way held the pieces in the correct position and locked them together due to gravity and the external forces associated with it.

These details led to the formation of a structural method that was prefabricated and deployed on site due to its axial pivot points and the dead load it would then carry.

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The structure is assembled in a sequence that would involve the foundation to be completed ahead of time separately. Then, the structure of the home would arrive in sections that would be set on a pivot points attached to the foundation across from each other. The structure would deploy outward until the key-ways aligned and are set by the steel tubing or “keys.” The structure could be deployed in several chunks in a short amount of time. This saves labor cost and time due to the keys key-ways setting all the members into their correct location without complications of measuring, cutting, or fastening. Exterior sheathing placed on the structure would gain lateral rigidity. And complete the structure of the dwelling.

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The Digital Vernacular (By making, we understand. By understanding, we design.)

Understanding, designing, and making occurs on a regular basis and at many scales. In general terms, these individual activities occur by separate entities at different places with, a high, but very different level of understanding. Although they happen separately, an end result is produced that meets certain criteria including time, cost, conditions, location etc… There are three basic areas that break down the defi nition of how these three activities are infl uenced as parts in the process of deploying them in one single method. These areas are technology, materials, and conditions. With technology, materials, and conditions changing at a constant pace, a vernacular is developing that provides a cycle of understanding, designing, and making to occur. By making, we understand. By understanding, we design. Access is what allows these activities to occur simultaneously at any scale with any precision. The digital vernacular occurs at the intersection of developed technology and materials and the developing experience and understanding of the people interacting with them. Knowing that the cycle exists that every design is only an improvisation, the digital vernacular lends itself to utilize an absolute current design. Making, understanding, and designing is much different than shopping and hoping. Designing by looking through catalogs of products is shopping for items being produced, not designing. Optimal design can only occur through current conditions. The cycle of understanding, designing and making develops more each day. The more understanding due to making that occurs, the more informed design can become. There lies an interaction, an understanding, a making, and a connection to origins that develop towards this cycle. Due to a method of understanding with certainty while interacting with risk with intentions, fragments fi lter in that allow new ways of making. By making with these new ways, we gain understanding. That understanding guides design in digital fabrication.

DIGITAL VERNACULAR MAKELAB

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Is plywood just for sheathing? Seeing an 8’ sheet of ¾” plywood ripple like water, compress by 20%, stretch to 200%, twist 180 degrees, and roll up into a 6” cylinder exceeded our expectations to say the least. The characteristics of this material have changed so dramatically that we need to be reminded of the fact that is still solid plywood. The greatest strength that the digital vernacular holds is the ability to rapidly test complex ideas with precision and then adjust quickly to test again. The project titled, PLI-WOOD, looked closely at utilizing tools in conjunction with a common material to achieve non characteristic performances. The MakeLab is not just a place for cutting out squares. It is a place that allows students to understand the characteristics of materials and construction methodologies. Through many iterations of our fi nal project we found that there is a distinct difference between manipulating material and shaping material. In the past we used the machines to cut out predetermined shapes to fi t into a predetermined form; manipulating material allows common characteristics to be set aside for new possibilities within that a material. For this project we started with rapid prototypes cut out on the laser cutter. The small size allowed us to identify which materials could be manipulated the best. One-eighth inch bass wood didn’t respond the same as one-eighth inch thick Baltic Birch plywood. The laser cutting allows for different cut patterns to be tested. We were able to fi nd cut patterns that worked well very quickly and allowed us to move towards full scale versions on the CNC. We used the same ratio of cut depth to cut spacing from the most successful laser cut prototypes. This allowed the full scale versions to be successful on the fi rst attempt.

Iteration through rigor

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Developing a built fragment of architecture was the goal. In order to get there and understand decisions to be made, several initial design/build/test studies were performed in order to gain this understanding. The initial projects dealt with forms of water management, ballast, and panel connections.

The fi nal built fragment defi nes volume, projects views, engages users, all while utilizing content from the initial studies. We worked in teams in order to achieve faster results and divide up labor during these projects.

The two types of water management had to deal with water management at a detail oriented level and at a coating level. Both types must be inventive, and have nearly no past precedence of use in this manner.

The panel connections hold two different angles. One is held at ninety degrees while the other is adjustable depending on orientation of panel.

The fi nal fragment utilizes strength through transparency. The construct completes with 9 rings total that aggregate down a steep slope. The elevation view changes from completely opaque to nearly completely transparent depending on the location of the viewer. This sets up several instances of view corridors that pass through the structural rings of the overall fragment.

ADVANCED DESIGN STUDIO 2 MATERIAL INTERACTION

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Looking into detailing water management away from its natural effect on wood was achieved by fi rst understanding the parts of wood that were most vulnerable. The highest vulnerable area were the end grain of cut pieces that would quickly wick water and become saturated in little time. To get past this, we looking into all types of miter joints that would allow complete end grain surface coverage to stop wicking. We then looked into “micro gutters” that would allow quick displacement of any water that managed to get inside of vulnerable areas.

Utilizing a non generic coating as a form of water management was achieved by looking into primitive tool protection. In the past soluble mixtures were used in water to dilute and soak into wood and then be left behind as a coating once the water evaporated. We used poly styrene to coat our wood while utilizing acetone as its solvent. Once the poly styrene was broken down in the acetone it was quickly pulled from the solutions and applied to the surface with pressure to confi rm complete saturation and coverage.

Water management through detail

Water management through coating

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Panel connection 1 utilizes precision cut mortise and tenon on the panels to be attached. Then, acrylic rod is used as a rivet that is place between the two panels to hold constant pressure to hold the permanent angle set by the mortise and tenons. This study showed the amount needed to provide certain amount of strength due to the density of the acrylic rod along th perimeter. Also, while riveting the acrylic rods, the panels were pre-loaded so when the pressure was released it would engage the acrylic rods.

Panel Connection 1

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Panel connection 2 utilized a double key way system. Like the fi rst connection, it too has precision cut mortise and tenons but also precision cut plows for the key ways to lock into to achieve a ninety degree corner. Use of a wood key-way on the exterior provided a compressible strength to tighten and settle into a stable location. The acrylic key-way on the exterior is what engages the wood key-way. While it pushes out the panel to engage that key way it creates and spans a slice of light that it protects at the same time.

Panel Connection 2

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MILL COAT MILL ASSEMBLE

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The fi nal fragment utilizes key way connections to assemble the rings and then rivet connection to lock the rings together. Each part began as a sheet of plywood that was milled with a perforation to provide consistent application of the polystyrene waterproofi ng. Then after it was coated, it found itself on the CNC router table to be shaped into one of the many fi nal pieces of the fragment. By using these types of connections, we were able to complete the project with just use of three materials. Its rigidity due to its broad footprint and tolerant connections allows it to resist wind and site conditions.