A research on a reconfigurable hypar structure for architectural applications

Abstract

Kinetic design strategy is a way to obtain remarkable applications in architecture. These kinetic designs can offer more advantages compared to conventional ones. Basic knowledge of different disciplines is necessary to generate kinetic designs. In other words, interdisciplinary studies are critical. Therefore, architect's knowledge must be wide-ranging in order to increase novel design approaches and applications. The resulting rich hybrid products increase the potential of the disciplines individually. Research on kinetic structures shows that the majority of kinetic structures are deployable. However, deployable structures can only be transformed from a closed compact configuration to a predetermined expanded form. The motivation of the present dissertation is generating a novel 2 DOF 8R reconfigurable structure which can meet different hyperbolic paraboloid surfaces for architectural applications. In order to obtain this novel structure; the integration between the mechanism science and architecture is essential. The term reconfigurable will be used in the present dissertation to describe deployable structures with various configurations. The novel reconfigurable design utilizes the overconstrained Bennett linkage and the production principals of ruled surfaces. The dissertation begins with a brief summary of deployable structures to show their shortcomings and their lack of form flexibility. Afterward, curved surfaces, basic terms in mechanisms and overconstrained mechanisms were investigated. Finally, a proposed novel mechanism which is inspired from the basic design principles of Bennett linkage and the fundamentals of ruled surfaces are explained with the help of kinematic diagrams and models.