theCASTLE: Week 12

Week 12 started as a 1:10 modelling class to try and reinterpret the diagrammatic conclusions that we got to last week. Kristy and I decided to work together and so we pooled some ideas and set to work on a model that demonstrated a tilt-up opening that allowed ventilation and light through, based on one of Geoff’s sketches. We were beavering away really enjoying using the materials and things and we modelled a way of changing the vertical height of the Castle. Another group worked on the idea of the panellised system and created different openings for different panels that people could then choose out of. Another group made a model of some slide out openings and walls that became cantilevering decks as well. This was all brought together in a discussion after the model making. Richard, Ian and Robin shared some research they had done separately over the time about slide out mechanisms from the Independence Caravan or something, and there was new hollow core door technology supplier found who could make doors any size and with lots of different materials and insulative fillings. This seemed to push aside the fact that we had spent the last morning modelling, and Kristy and I had put a lot of effort into ours, because suddenly we were trying to decide on a direction and what that meant for the test rig. Once again after all our achievements this semester we were back to conversations full of umms and ahhh’s and pregnant pauses. When asked what we thought we should do next there was a pause and then “…lunch?” which got a laugh, but what after that? “well… dinner… and breakfast!”. I thought that it was supremely obvious nothing was going to be achieved by pushing a conversation that was going nowhere, and in utter desperation it seemed, Richard cracked and explained what HE thought the direction we had come to and were working towards would be. A system of standardised parts of the Castle that can be customised through a manufacturing line of multiple versions of roofs, wall panels and openings to achieve a personalised Castle; personalisation by production line manufacturing (which I thought previously couldn’t have gone together). After this little revelation my feeling was ‘well why didn’t you say so? Can we go to lunch now?’ which I must have said out loud because we were released and agreed to meet back to discuss this development.

Unfortunately for the group decision-making process, there was only a few of us that did meet back after lunch, the combined pull of history essays and hitting the road to Hobart. Quickly in the break I had sketched what I though Richard was trying to describe, the parts that were to be standard and all the different types of wall panels, roofs and openings you could choose from. We tried drawing versions of the idea on the whiteboard, and the suggestion I threw in was why not have the two standardised parts as one whole solid ‘cup’ and a half ‘cup’. Based on the model of the test rig, one ‘cup’ would be the box frame portal system, and the whole one would have a back wall and include the toilet/shower and cooking/drinking solid service areas, which would help brace the frame so it didn’t have to be too heavy construction. The other half ‘cup’ would be a similar box frame but with no width walls and just supported by some torsion box shelving or something on the sides, but relatively open. From these two parts of the Castle, the whole and the half, the spaces between the two halves can be in-filled with the customised panels of your choice to then make up the 2.4, 3.6 or 4.8m long Castle. I can imagine that this would be very easy to put into a web page or something where someone can log in their details and requirements and go through a step-by-step selection of all the Castle parts. This then could provide a sketch up model they can explore at the end to then understand the implications of what they have chosen and how big they actually want it to be. I’m basing this idea on the way archiCAD works for example, you can make your own elements in detail and then have them saved to a library where you can bring up any project and drop that library part into it. You can imagine it would be like a probability and statistics maths equation, where you have to work out all the different possibilities of combinations for walls, roofs, materials, openings and arrangement. There would be so many different variations but the point is that those numerous combinations could consist of three roof types, eight different wall panels, two types of apertures (louvers or plain glazing), two door placements and a few internal shelving/stove/sink/toilet cubicle plans –it could be so easy! We were all agreed that this is a good end revelation for the Castle to finish on and that next week we can identify things to do to the test rig to make it into this idea, as well as making a model at 1:5 scale to show how it all could be put together. Yay!