Books by Kostas Grigoriadis
Mixed Matters: A Multi-Material Design Compendium, 2016
Multi-material design, which has been utilized with great success for a long time for example in ... more Multi-material design, which has been utilized with great success for a long time for example in vehicle manufacturing or aerospace engineering, could also open up completely new possibilities in architecture. Significant amounts of energy, resources, and material could be saved and the use of multi-material 3D printers could revolutionize the design process and bring forth a new aesthetic. Mixed Matters summarizes for the first time the current status of research about multi-material design in architecture—based on a symposium at the AA School of Architecture in London. Contributions by leading architects, designers, scientists, and theorists from renowned institutions and practices—including Zaha Hadid Architects, the Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design at the University of Stuttgart and the Harvard Graduate School of Design—explore the fascinating possibilities that this game-changing multi-material shift will bring about for architecture. Contributions by prominent reserachers, designers, and architects from, among others, Architectural Association School of Architecture, Bartlett School of Architecture, Harvard GSD, Zaha Hadid Architects
Papers by Kostas Grigoriadis
Frontiers of Architectural Research
Frontiers of Architectural Research
The Journal of Architecture, 2019
The research presented herein is an investigation into the use of functionally-graded (FGM, also ... more The research presented herein is an investigation into the use of functionally-graded (FGM, also known as multi-) materials in architectural design. Drawing from recent instances of graded material research in fields adjacent to architecture, it proposes a new CAD methodology of designing (a building envelope detail) with FGM. 1.2. Fused Materiality History Fused materials have been used in the form of alloys since time immemorial but were only introduced in the form of gradients in the 1980s. Back then, Japanese researchers solved the problem of high stresses building up in the connection of metal to ceramic parts in hypersonic space planes, by developing a new type of (functionally-graded) material consisting of ceramic fusing into steel continuously in one volume (Figure 01). That way the thermal insulation properties of ceramics were combined with the structural properties of metal, eschewing the use of any mechanical fasteners or joining that would compromise the integrity of the material system. 1.3. Functionally Graded Materials in Architecture Being discerned into two groups of surface and volume FGM 1 , up until recently these materials ranged from micrometres to a few centimetres when manufactured in laboratories for research purposes, while their industrial application in larger volumes took place in specialized facilities and was detached from mainstream construction. However, according to Tom Wiscombe (2012, p.6): "the fabrication of multi-material matrices was extremely difficult and only cost-effective for the aerospace industry, and only in rare cases. It has involved making multiple forms and melting materials together under extreme conditions. Now, 3D printing has entered its next generation, where not only can multiple materials be deposited in micron layers at the same time but also gradient mixtures of these materials." Furthermore, current recent research initiatives indicate that the transfer of the idea of graduating materials from fields such as aerospace engineering to the construction industry can enable energy and material savings, while eliminating the formation of weak points found in mechanically connected parts (Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development, 2011). Although not yet widespread, this multi-material paradigm is beginning to make its way into architecture, currently through the fabrication of small scale representational multi-materials, with research however, already conducted towards their wider application in the building industry in the near future (Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development, 2011; Oxman, Keating and Tsai, 2011). 1.4. Anticipated Impacts of Graded Material Application in Architecture With all this in mind and in the context of a gradual shift towards the incorporation and application of graded materiality in architecture and design, it is logically envisaged that the following will be the fundamental changes occurring as a result: a. Tectonic construction, based on the assemblage of materially uniform, discrete building components will be replaced by the continuous fusion of materials. b. Fusing will become the appropriate building technique linked to this 21 st century material paradigm. c. Discrete boundaries will be replaced by gradients which, being more 'forgiving' than discrete components, will see the acceptable margin for error rise. d. Designing and building will be made with materials directly. e. There will be a shift towards a new design process in which material behaviour is prioritized.
Modelling Behaviour, 2015
Recent research initiatives taking place in architecture indicate that the transfer of graded mat... more Recent research initiatives taking place in architecture indicate that the transfer of graded materials to the construction industry from fields such as aerospace engineering can bring about radical changes in the design and construction of buildings. In this light, the paper addresses the departure from the use of conventional design software that utilise boundary representation geometries to represent volume and the search for alternative methods of designing with gradients. Multi-material design is a process mainly concerned with the assigning of gradients between two or more dissimilar materials, as well as their extents. Particle system elements are by virtue of their computational structure made to simulate natural phenomena and effectively the behaviour of materials. Particle simulations have therefore been utilised as a design tool and in order to allow for the gradients to be computationally calculated based on the physical material properties of the substances to be fused. The main question that the paper effectively addresses, is how can the appropriate materials that will form a larger multi-material entity be selected and how should the relevant simulation environment be set up in terms of the forces that affect material distribution. To address these, two exercises for designing a multi-material panel exposed in high velocity wind conditions are presented in which the agency assigned in the simulation is analysed and critiqued. In the first exercise, the aim is to achieve a similar material distribution to multi-materials resulting from accumulative roll bonding manufacturing techniques. In the second exercise, non-invasive material agency is applied in the simulation, which is informed by the physical forces acting on the panel. Following the initial design experiments, the paper analyses the main parameters that have been set in the tool and presents an epistemological critique of the resulting multi-material design workflow.
Operating within the landscape of new materialism and considering recent advances in the field of... more Operating within the landscape of new materialism and considering recent advances in the field of additive manufacturing, the thesis is proposing a novel method of designing with a new type of material that is known as functionally graded. Two of the additive manufacturing advances that are considered of radical importance and at the same time are central to the research have to do with the progressively increasing scales of the output of 3D printing, as well as with the expanding palette of materials that can now be utilised in the process. Regarding the latter, there are already various industrial research initiatives underway that explore ways that various materials can be combined in order to allow for the additive manufacturing of multi-material (otherwise known as functionally graded material) parts or whole volumes that are continuously fused together. In light of this and pre-empting this architectural-level integration and fusing of materials within one volume, the research...
International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing
International Journal of Architectural Computing, 2015
International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing
The Journal of Architecture, 2019
Considering advances in materials science, this research proposes a novel method of designing wit... more Considering advances in materials science, this research proposes a novel method of designing with multi-, or functionally graded materials (FGM). FGM consist of sub-materials continuously fused in one volume, without the use of mechanical connections. The proposed technique is to emulate the fusion of materials based on their physical properties using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations. The main objective, in effect, is to formulate an epistemological framework corresponding to the use of CFD in multi-material design. Targeting this method for a unitised curtain wall panel segment, the research identifies appropriate materials that can be mixed to generate the part, describes the form of the digital container for blending, analyses FGM manufacturing techniques and structural loading on the panel to assign the affecting forces, and sets out criteria for terminating the simulation. This is followed by bespoke workflows to visualise the resulting FGM and to 3D-print it in a multi-material. The findings identify the shortfalls of material simulation use in design, the limitations of visualising a multi-material, and the problems with its direct fabrication. The resulting original contribution is a mutable process model created in commercial 3D software that can be used in a standard laptop computer to design with FGM.
International Journal of Rapid Manufacturing, 2018
As the practice of using notations to translate from two to three-dimensions is gradually being r... more As the practice of using notations to translate from two to three-dimensions is gradually being replaced by the direct, autographic relaying of building information digitally, the separation between designing and building is diminishing. Key to lessening further this division are heterogeneous materials, the imminent use of which can instigate the gradual superseding of building components and effectively tectonic construction. Preempting their anticipated widespread application, a main point syntax is presented of the expected changes that will occur in architecture as a result. Following this, a novel design method using particle system elements to simulate the fusion of materials is deployed in the redesign of a building facade element through a multi-material. The ensuing focus is the fabrication of the element, which is performed by converting material data from the CFD program into a 3D-printable format. The current technical limitations of architectural autography are discussed through this workflow.
Proceedings of the 32nd eCAADe Conference - Volume 2, 2014
Parallel to the early development and recent widespread usage of composite
materials in building... more Parallel to the early development and recent widespread usage of composite
materials in building and manufacturing, the concept of functionally graded
materials (FGM) was initiated and developed as far back as the 1980s. In
contrast to the composite paradigm, where layers of materials are glued and
'cooked' together under high pressure and temperature to form laminated parts,
FGM are singular materials that vary their consistency gradually over their
volume. In direct link to their increasing use in fields adjacent to architecture, the
scope of the paper is to explore a possible design route for designing with FGM.
Of a limited number of available CAD software where material properties can be
graded, the intent of the design for a materially graded windbreak module is to
utilize particle systems as a technique for simulating fields of interacting,
information-loaded material point sets that can be fused together in a gradient
manner.
Modelling Behaviour, 2015
Recent research initiatives taking place in architecture indicate that the transfer of graded mat... more Recent research initiatives taking place in architecture indicate that the transfer of graded materials to the construction industry from fields such as aerospace engineering, can bring about radical changes in the design and construction of buildings. In this light, the paper addresses the departure from the use of conventional design software that utilise boundary representation geometries to represent volume and the search for alternative methods of designing with gradients. Multi-material design is a process mainly concerned with the assigning of gradients between two or more dissimilar materials, as well as their extents. Particle system elements are by virtue of their computational structure made to simulate natural phenomena and effectively the behaviour of materials. Particle simulations have therefore been utilised as a design tool and in order to allow for the gradients to be computationally calculated based on the physical material properties of the substances to be fused. The main question that the paper effectively addresses, is how can the appropriate materials that will form a larger multi-material entity be selected and how should the relevant simulation environment be set up in terms of the forces that affect material distribution. To address these, two exercises for designing a multi-material panel exposed in high velocity wind conditions are presented in which the agency assigned in the simulation is analysed and critiqued. In the first exercise, the aim is to achieve a similar material distribution to multi-materials resulting from accumulative roll bonding manufacturing techniques. In the second exercise, non-invasive material agency is applied in the simulation, which is informed by the physical forces acting on the panel. Following the initial design experiments, the paper analyses the main parameters that have been set in the tool and presents an epistemological critique of the resulting multi-material design workflow.
Living Systems and Micro-Utopias: Towards Continuous Designing, Proceedings of the 21st International Conference of the Association for Computer-Aided Architectural Design Research in Asia, 2016
As the practice of using notations to translate from two to three-dimensions is becoming supersed... more As the practice of using notations to translate from two to three-dimensions is becoming superseded by the direct relaying of building information digitally, the separation between designing and building is diminishing. A key aspect in lessening further this division, is heterogeneous materiality that supersedes component thinking and effectively tectonics. Being an embodiment of the redundancies of tec-tonic assembly, a curtain wall detail has been redesigned with a heterogeneous and continuous multi-material using CFD. The main research problem following this redesign has been the conversion of material data from the CFD program into a 3D-printable format and in order to achieve a closer linkage between design and building. This has been pursued by initially converting the fused material parameters into fluid weight data and eventually into RGB colour values. The resulting configuration was output initially as a multi-colour print and eventually fabricated in a multi-material.
What's the Matter: Materiality and Materialism at the Age of Computation, International Conference, 2014
International Journal of Architectural Computing (IJAC), 2015
Parallel to the early development and recent widespread usage of composite materials in building ... more Parallel to the early development and recent widespread usage of composite materials in building and manufacturing, the concept of functionally graded materials (FGM) was initiated and developed as far back as the 1980s. In contrast to the composite paradigm, where layers of materials are glued and ‘cooked’ together under high pressure and temperature to form laminated parts, FGM are singular materials that vary their consistency gradually over their volume. In direct link to their increasing use in fields adjacent to architecture, the scope of the paper is to explore possible design routes for designing with FGM. Of a limited number of available CAD software in which material properties can be graded, the intent of the design for a materially graded windbreak module, as well as a multi-material skin-to-structure connection, is to utilize particle systems as a technique for simulating fields of interacting, information-loaded
material point sets that can be fused together in a gradient manner.
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Books by Kostas Grigoriadis
Papers by Kostas Grigoriadis
materials in building and manufacturing, the concept of functionally graded
materials (FGM) was initiated and developed as far back as the 1980s. In
contrast to the composite paradigm, where layers of materials are glued and
'cooked' together under high pressure and temperature to form laminated parts,
FGM are singular materials that vary their consistency gradually over their
volume. In direct link to their increasing use in fields adjacent to architecture, the
scope of the paper is to explore a possible design route for designing with FGM.
Of a limited number of available CAD software where material properties can be
graded, the intent of the design for a materially graded windbreak module is to
utilize particle systems as a technique for simulating fields of interacting,
information-loaded material point sets that can be fused together in a gradient
manner.
material point sets that can be fused together in a gradient manner.
materials in building and manufacturing, the concept of functionally graded
materials (FGM) was initiated and developed as far back as the 1980s. In
contrast to the composite paradigm, where layers of materials are glued and
'cooked' together under high pressure and temperature to form laminated parts,
FGM are singular materials that vary their consistency gradually over their
volume. In direct link to their increasing use in fields adjacent to architecture, the
scope of the paper is to explore a possible design route for designing with FGM.
Of a limited number of available CAD software where material properties can be
graded, the intent of the design for a materially graded windbreak module is to
utilize particle systems as a technique for simulating fields of interacting,
information-loaded material point sets that can be fused together in a gradient
manner.
material point sets that can be fused together in a gradient manner.