Project Description
Ennobling Relationships: Researching the Role of Lightweight Materials in Architecture, will explore the application of fiber-based polymers and composites in the development of low-cost and quickly-assembled architectural structures. This project will focus specifically on the use of recycled paper as the primary structural aggregate. The research methodology will be based on the use of physical mock-ups to test and validate the predictions of a virtual model. There is very little published research on the use of paper-composites used as load-bearing structures in construction, this project will serve as the basis for other similar projects in the future.
Tasks and Responsibilites
The student will be tasked with developing a catalog of structural morphologies based on an analysis of structural case-studies. These will then be testing and developed through the use of the FEA modeler in Autodesk Inventor. A selected group of these virtual tests will be constructed as physical mock-ups in order to validate the model predictions.
Desired Qualifications
None listed