Work
Archive
2024
Archive
2024
Automata Mangrove
Type
Design Experiment
Year
2022
2022
Class
Design and Making Across Disciplines
Instructor
Jenny Sabin
Jenny Sabin
Team Members
Thanut Sakdanaraseth
Thomas Wallace
Kseniya Yerakhavets
Thanut Sakdanaraseth
Thomas Wallace
Kseniya Yerakhavets
Project Description
Automata Mangrove, driven by the cellular automata principle, is an ecological intervention that creates an immersive visualization of water quality. This project remediates polluted sites vulnerable to storm surges. As a traveling exhibit, the trees move, collect data, and initiate remedial action. The mangrove's branching structure offers a large surface area for water quality analysis, changing color based on the collected data for a visual representation of water quality.
In addition, the mangrove's ecological features contribute to its role in vulnerable coastal sites. Above the water, it serves as a habitat for crustaceans and birds. Underwater, the hollow spaces of the base component can accommodate aquatic plants and provide nurseries for juvenile fauna. Meanwhile, the 3D-printed clay bases, functioning as sediment traps, play a crucial role in coastal stabilization. Over time, the component breaks down into sediment, facilitating natural reclamation.
Automata Mangrove, driven by the cellular automata principle, is an ecological intervention that creates an immersive visualization of water quality. This project remediates polluted sites vulnerable to storm surges. As a traveling exhibit, the trees move, collect data, and initiate remedial action. The mangrove's branching structure offers a large surface area for water quality analysis, changing color based on the collected data for a visual representation of water quality.
In addition, the mangrove's ecological features contribute to its role in vulnerable coastal sites. Above the water, it serves as a habitat for crustaceans and birds. Underwater, the hollow spaces of the base component can accommodate aquatic plants and provide nurseries for juvenile fauna. Meanwhile, the 3D-printed clay bases, functioning as sediment traps, play a crucial role in coastal stabilization. Over time, the component breaks down into sediment, facilitating natural reclamation.
Generative Design
The fundamental concept of the definition is rooted in the cellular automata principle, utilizing a three-dimensional grid; X, Y, and Z axes. Each cell possesses a designated neighborhood, which comprises a predefined set of adjacent cells. A subsequent generation is generated above the previous layer, wherein the state of each new cell is determined based on the living state of its neighboring cells, following a specified rule. Consequently, a series of vertically aligned cell generations are produced. Subsequently, the centroids of these cells are extracted, resulting in the creation of a point cloud within the three-dimensional grid.
Later, lines are created to establish connections among these points, thereby forming a network that facilitates various pathways from the bottom to the top of the grid. Starting points are generated at the center of the lowest layer, while a set of ending points is positioned at the top layer. By utilizing the Shortest Walk algorithm in the Grasshopper, guiding directions are derived to indicate the optimal pathways within the network.
The preferred paths within the network are extracted and transformed into tubes. Because these preferred paths are interconnected within the network, they inherently exhibit intersections. To acquire this feature using SubD multipipe command available in Rhinoceros 7, the elimination of line duplications must be performed. Further, to leverage the multipipe command, a hollow branching structure is generated by offsetting the tubes to gain thickness, allowing for fabrication feasibility and specifically imitating the morphology of a mangrove tree.
The base component shares a similar generative methodology with the cellular automaton 3D grid point cloud. However, instead of creating a network of lines within the point cloud, it transforms those individual points into a polygon mesh by utilizing the Cocoon component in Grasshopper to wrap the individual points of the point cloud, resulting in the creation of a polygon mesh. This mesh is composed of interconnected triangles, representing a solid structure of the base component.
Ecological Features
To enable an immersive visualization of water quality within the network of a mangrove tree, our experimentation involves the application of thermochromic pigment. By injecting fluid that dissolved thermochromic pigment into the tubes, the entire network undergoes a dyeing process, resulting in the integration of the pigment throughout the system. However, it is essential to ensure that the diameter of the tubes is sufficiently large, allowing for adequate fluid flow throughout the network. Consequently, the tubes acquire the capability to serve as indicators of the temperature of the injected water. Specifically, when exposed to warm water, the color of the tubes changes from cyan to yellow, and reverts back to cyan as the temperature decreases. This dynamic color change behavior provides a visual representation of the water temperature, enhancing the interactive capacity to observe and evaluate the water quality.
In order to implement ecological features to the mangroves for accommodating aquatic plants and fauna, we leverage the complexity of branch structure and develop a base component characterized by polygon meshes possessing a hollow property. These base components are strategically positioned within environmentally vulnerable coastal sites to serve as scaffolds for fostering the growth of diverse aquatic life forms. The advantage of the mangrove design is that they provide, the mangroves provide occupiable surfaces above the water level, facilitating the habitation of crustaceans and birds. Under the water, the hollow spaces within the base components provide suitable environments for local aquatic plants and serve as nurseries for juvenile fauna. To fabricate the base components, a 3D printing technique utilizing clay material is employed, followed by the firing process. Once installed, these bases serve as sediment traps under the water. The texturized and hollow nature of the components allows for the entrapment and fixation of particles from the riverbed, thus contributing to their role as coastal stabilizers. Over time, natural processes cause the gradual degradation of the base components into smaller particles, enabling their reintegration into the surrounding ecosystem through natural reclamation mechanisms.
In order to implement ecological features to the mangroves for accommodating aquatic plants and fauna, we leverage the complexity of branch structure and develop a base component characterized by polygon meshes possessing a hollow property. These base components are strategically positioned within environmentally vulnerable coastal sites to serve as scaffolds for fostering the growth of diverse aquatic life forms. The advantage of the mangrove design is that they provide, the mangroves provide occupiable surfaces above the water level, facilitating the habitation of crustaceans and birds. Under the water, the hollow spaces within the base components provide suitable environments for local aquatic plants and serve as nurseries for juvenile fauna. To fabricate the base components, a 3D printing technique utilizing clay material is employed, followed by the firing process. Once installed, these bases serve as sediment traps under the water. The texturized and hollow nature of the components allows for the entrapment and fixation of particles from the riverbed, thus contributing to their role as coastal stabilizers. Over time, natural processes cause the gradual degradation of the base components into smaller particles, enabling their reintegration into the surrounding ecosystem through natural reclamation mechanisms.
