FABRICATION 1Sectional model 1:50

1. INITIAL PLANNINGThe project was planned as an intended finished-look-ing support for my graduate studio poject, originally in-tended to be made at 1:20 in order to show the column and base connection details in reference to the Library at Dock in Melbourne. However, while making this mod-el, I realized that it may be more beneficial if I make this model to fit my original studio plan of the building, which is a 7-storey residential walkway structure. The aim is to show the spatial and light quality of a section of this building.

The material intention of this model is still kept the same: the base is still made by plaster, while wall struc-tures are basswood members, glued together by PVA. The glass members are made by laser-cut acrylic.

2. TEMPLATEIn order for every member of the model to fit perfect-ly, there is a need to create template for all of the tim-ber members (above left and below figure) and acryl-ic (above figure right). These templates are created in AutoCad, which are then saved in DXF and opened in Illustrator, ready to be printed.

3. PLASTER CASTINGFor a plaster casting session to successful, it is very es-sential to get the right ratio of water and plaster. The above figure shows my failed attempt at casting the floor slace. The mold is created using foam board, glued together by PVA, and reinforced by using duct tape to tape around the edge. This is to ensure that when the wet mix is poured into the mold, it will not leak around the edge and the mold will not deform or break.

4. BASE BUILDING and plaster sandingPlaster is then glued to a foam board base by Epoxy glue, covered by 2mm cork sheet to provide cleaner fin-ish. Most of the edges of the plaster piece are rough, so in order to make it f lush to the foam board edge, there needs to be proper fine sanding.

5. COLOURED GLASS TEMPLATEThe coloured glass physical pieces are laser cut into shape by AutoCAD. This template (figure above) is then exported into photoshop and coloured in photoshop (fig-ure below). This color pattern is then printed to acetate sheet to create transparent coloured effect.

6. COLOURED GLASS MAKINGThe coloured printed acetate (above) is then applied onto the back of the acrylic piece by Selleys Kwik Grip Water Based Ahesive. A roller is dipped in a thin layer of this ahesive and rolled onto the acrylic piece to ensure an even finish. The glue dries clear.

7. TIMBER ASSEMBLING AND DETAILINGLaser cut timber walls and columns are sawn by hand saw (a layer of white cardboard is also applied at the back to provide for reflective surface for the space’s in-terior. and then assembled by using PVA to glue them together. Acrylic can only be glued to these members by Kwik Grip glue. Details such as grass are cut from sheets purchased from Hobbyco and glued on.

8. REFLECTIONI wish there would have been more time to experiment with the facade so there will be more variations of trans-parency for the timber walls. This is a good exercise, not only on a fabrication side, but also for architecture exploration. Lighting effect created from this sectional model is stunning.

FABRICATION 2Detail model 1:5

1. wood cuttingTimber is recycled from scrap material from the BE workshop to reduce cost. They are then sawn to size by the band saw and table saw into rectangular pieces, ready to be planed.

2. LOUVERS template buildingA template is created in AutoCad in order to ensure the curves are drawn accurately on to these rectangular tim-ber members. This template is printed out on paper and cutout to stick on top of the wood to mark the final cur-vatures. (figure below)

3. planningA plane is mounted upside down to provide comfort to plane wood at precise angles. I planed these timber lou-vers in a linear side to side motion. Afterward, these tim-ber members are then finely sanded to provide smoother finish.

4. FRAME BUILDINGA frame needs to be built to hold these louvers in place. A rough sketch is generated to figure out all of the di-mensions necessary to build one. Pine timber is then cut to size, flattened to generate the final frame. This frame is then put together, clamped to ensure squareness and screwed. It is then uncrewed so that the louvers can be assembled.

MDF strips are also cut to create a moving mechanism for closing and opening. pins are marked on these strips and their heads are cut off. Louvers are then assembled with the pins on both sides on the frame, then the frame is then screwed to create the final product.

5. CONCEPT COLOURED GLASS TEMPLATEThe coloured glass physical pieces are laser cut into shape by AutoCAD. This template (figure above) is then exported into photoshop and coloured in photoshop (fig-ure below). This color pattern is then printed to acetate sheet to create transparent coloured effect.

7. REFLECTIONI have learned tremendously from the wood work. Time management was certainly a big issue for this project but it was a worthwhile experience. The louver mechanism turns out to be a bit more complicated than I thought it would have been. However, I am still very happy with the final result and the lighting effect created by this model is beautiful.

6. COLOURED GLASS MAKINGSimilar to Fabrication 1, the coloured printed acetate (above) is then applied onto the back of the acrylic piece by Kwik Grip Water Based Ahesive. A roller is dipped in a thin layer of this ahesive and rolled onto the acrylic piece to ensure an even finish. The glue dries clear.

FABRICATION 3Detail model 1:2

1. PLANNINGThe plan was originally a case study of the Laban Dance Center in London at 1:25 scale. However, given the lim-ited time budget that I have, as well as my wanting this detail model to be particularly relevant to my graduate studio, I have decided to simply and enlarge this model into 1:2 scale and make a conceptual frame, rather than a complete facade. This also makes the frame easier to make, since 1:25 is too small for timber and glass con-nection.

2. WOOD AND METAL CUTTINGPine timber is purchased and cut into size (in the back-ground above). Aluminium connections are cut from a 3mm-thick hollow square tube, 300mm long each. The rough edges are flattened using a metal flat file (below) and sandpaper. Metal drill press is used to create the rainwater slit for the bottom L-shaped member.

3. HOLE MAKINGAfter cleaning up these 2 metal members, holes are then made with countersunk for 2mm long screws to connect the aluminium and timber together.

Holes are also made for the bolts that connect acrylic and timber frame, too.

4. LASER CUTTINGAutoCad is then used again to generate the clear glass for the frame behind (left), cut from 1.5mm thick acrylic. Polycarbonate sheathing (right) is also cut from a 6mm thick acrylic piece.

Holes are also made onto these members by assemble everything together by double-sided tape, then uses the drill press to drill hole through all of the layers.

5. FROSTY GLASS MAKINGThe 6mm acrylic member iis then sprayed with a layer of clear mixed with white paint to create an even finish of translucence. Various tests were made before this using a hand paint spray for frosty glass, but it hardly creates a clean and even finish, so I had to resort to using spray gun.

6. ASSEMBLY35mm long bolts’s shanks are then cut down to 30mm to ensure a flush connection through aluminium, wood and acrylic. A flat washer is used on the acrylic side to ensure no scratch on the acrylic surface.

7. REFLECTIONThe metal work was intriguing for me as a learning ex-perience. It took me quite a bit of time to be able to de-termine the right size for the polycarbonate acrylic sheet that I wished I could have done the measurement more carefully. It is still a good model to show the contrast values of transparency and translucence.