i.M.A.D.E

Center for Media Design Furniture

admin — Thu, 05 Apr 2012 19:09:26 +0000

i.M.A.D.E designed, fabricated, and installed custom machined plywood and aluminum work pods for the Center for Media Design unit at Ball State University. Designed primarily in Rhino and Grasshopper, the geometries are informed from a zero-waste strategy of cutting small undulating strips from full plywood sheets, eliminating plywood off-cut waste. This “slice and dice” fabrication method reinforces the natural properties and aesthetic of plywood striations, while creating gradient effects of varying thickness and porosity, that change dynamically over time, lighting conditions, and vantage point.

Design, Prototyping, and Fabrication Team:
Christopher Baile
James Dechant
Zach Grajewski
Andre Haffenden
Hank Mezza
Joshua Vermillion

With special assistance from
Steven Putt
Thomas Friddle
Tad Jameyfield

Transformer

admin — Mon, 09 May 2011 19:35:39 +0000

“Transformer” is a layered, light-responsive shading lattice, designed and fabricated by an interdisciplinary team of students and faculty. The system acts as an active shading device, potentially for use within a building envelope.The prototyped system is comprised of quad-shaped, polystyrene petals arrayed in overlapping, radial clusters. The petals are situated within a lightweight but rigid and patterned support armature formed from planar polycarbonate and acrylic components while housing matrices of sensors and motors.

Local variations in petal movements and aperture size are controlled by simple microcontroller arrays and varying script configurations that interpret light data from photoelectric sensors to drive small servo motors. The axial rotations from the servo motors are converted into opening and closing motions for the petals via custom gears and axles.

The interdisciplinary team leveraged computation throughout the design and prototyping process to
1) actuate mechanical movements (using scripting along with small-scale physical computing equipment);
2) resolve geometry and patterning via parametric design information;
3) simulate and analyze desired lighting scenarios and patterning effects with false color mapping and soft-shadow rendering;
4) fabricate components for prototyping using CNC equipment.

Team:
Xiorelis Cox
Geoffrey DeSmit
Andre Paul Haffenden
Tianxiao Peng

Faculty:
Kevin Klinger
Joshua Vermillion

tetraMIN

admin — Sun, 08 May 2011 16:00:18 +0000

Students Develop Prototypes Reusing RCA Dome Stadium Roof

tetraMIN is a hanging screen aggregate consisting of componentry generated from tetrahedron geometry via Rhino’s Grasshopper parametric modeling plug-in. Comprised of laser cut polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) scraps, each component forms a periodic minimal surface, and is propagated into a regular pattern by a series of reflecting/mirroring operations. The PTFE is the former roof material from the RCA Dome, a large pneumatic roof stadium prior to demolition in 2008, and was donated to the studio by Michael Bricker, director of People for Urban Progress, located in Indianapolis, Indiana.

System prototyping and fabrication occurred in one week by a nine member team of Ball State University architecture students. Working with the Institute for Digital Fabrication’s faculty and equipment (primarily laser cutters), the team fabricated each component with a tab-and-slot connector system to enable the assembly of the screen. Inexpensive zip ties are also strategically deployed throughout the screen assembly for structural stiffening

Backlit for a glowing visual effect, tetraMIN is currently on display in the College of Architecture and Planning’s gallery to coincide with a special event aligned with manufacturing and materials research.

Team:
Derek Anger
Kate Donnelly
Melissa Garrison
André Paul Haffenden
Kevin R. Klinger, Associate Professor
Kristen Kuk
Derek Newman
Aaron Nordstrom
Natalie Reinhardt
William Zyck

Faculty:
Kevin Klinger
Joshua Vermillion

Partners:
People for Urban Progress / Michael Bricker, Director

Titanium Bridge Design Competition Finalists

admin — Sat, 07 May 2011 12:00:16 +0000

A three student team from Ball State’s Department of Architecture and the Institute for Digital Fabrication was recognized as a one of five finalists in the Student Titanium Pedestrian Bridge Design Competition, sponsored by the Defense Metals Technology Center and the University of Akron. Paul Lindsay, David Kane, and Xavier Colon designed the bridge scheme in a seminar taught by Associate Professor and Institute for Digital Fabrication Director, Kevin Klinger.

After the shortlist of finalists were announced, the team presented to a jury for final round of judging. Final results from this jury will be announced on May 20.

More info here (Ball State University press release): http://www.bsu.edu/news/article/0,1370,7273-850-63996,00.html

Simposium de Arquitectura Progressiva 2011

admin — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 13:16:24 +0000

Kevin Klinger speaks at the “Simposium de Arquitectura Progressiva 2011: Procesos Digitales+Fabricacion” event in Mexico City.

RIMMEA Workshop

admin — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 11:42:43 +0000

The Institute for Digital Fabrication is pleased to help promote the Research in Materials and Manufacturability for Extreme Affordability Workshop hosted at Ball State University on 18-19 March 2011. This workshop will focus on addressing the needs of the Base of the Pyramid population of the world–which consists of over 2.5 billion people–through integrated and system approaches to explore scientific, technological and design aspects of materials and manufacturing for extreme affordability. This invitation-only workshop is supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF), in collaboration with Ball State University, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME), and the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE).

Click here to visit the RIMMEA Workshop website for more information on the workshop event and its topic.

Graduate Certificate Program

admin — Sat, 19 Mar 2011 01:45:25 +0000

Graduate Certificate in Digital Design + Fabrication ::
The Graduate Certificate invites students and design professionals from a variety of backgrounds who wish to enhance their skill sets with the latest digital design and fabrication tools at Ball State University. This 12 credit hour program, which specifically caters to nontraditional schedules, focuses on applying computational tools within a material-based “design-through-production process” that is informed by experimenting, testing, and prototyping.

Certificate courses are conducted by faculty and staff from Ball State’s Institute for Digital Fabrication (i.M.A.D.E) in an immersive and collaborative on-campus environment with industry involvement. On-campus resources include full access to labs and shops along with training on software and CNC equipment for undertaking material-based experiments and prototyping. No prerequisite skills in digital design or fabrication are required.

The Certificate sequence is aligned with and administered by Ball State’s Department of Architecture, a program cited for excellence in Digital Design and Fabrication in Architect Magazine’s most recent U.S. architecture schools survey. For maximum flexibility, students can choose to apply Certificate credits to Ball State’s 30 credit-hour, post-professional Master of Architecture II Degree Program (pending admission to the masters degree program).

COURSE TIMELINES ::
Currently we offer traditional, semester-length on-campus courses spread out over 2, 3, or 4 semesters–these courses are typically scheduled in the evening, one day a week.

HOW TO APPLY :: Three Step Process:

1. Send us an email at imade@i-m-a-d-e.org expressing your interest to apply for the Graduate Certificate in Digital Design + Fabrication program. We’ll gladly field any questions about the program and provide you with more details about the next two steps.

2. Apply for admission to Ball State’s Graduate School :: Click here for more information on applying to Ball State’s Graduate School.

3. Apply for admission to the Certificate Program through the Department of Architecture :: We ask participants to submit a Resume/CV, References, a Short Portfolio, and a brief State of Purpose Letter so we can better understand your goals for the program. Click here for more information.

DETAILS + CONTACT ::
More details about Ball State University’s Graduate Certificate in Digital Design and Fabrication (including FAQ’s) are outlined here on Ball State’s website. If you have any questions, please contact us at imade@i-m-a-d-e.org.

MorphoLuminescence @ ACADIA 2010

admin — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 20:00:28 +0000

MorphoLuminescence, a responsive, kinetic lighting prototype, exhibited at the ACADIA 2010 Conference at the Cooper Union Great Hall. Photos and diagrams of the project were displayed as part of a peer-reviewed projects exhibition at Pratt Institute’s Siegel Gallery. MorphoLuminescence was a collaborative design and prototyping project from four Ball State M.Arch students–Elizabeth Boone, Eric Brockmeyer, Adam Buente, and Kyle Perry–taking part in “An Inconvenient Studio”, an immersive design studio taught by Mahesh Daas and Joshua Vermillion.

Previously, Morpholuminescence placed in the Robert Bruce Thompson Annual Student Light Fixture Design Competition and was exhibited at the SPOT ON SCHOOLS Exhibition at the BEYOND MEDIEA FESTIVAL in Florence, Italy.

Architect Magazine Rankings

admin — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 00:00:59 +0000

Ball State’s College of Architecture and Planning is one of three schools identified for excellence in Digital Design and Fabrication by Architect Magazine.

SIGraDi 2010 Conference

admin — Sun, 07 Nov 2010 16:30:59 +0000

At the SIGraDi 2010 Conference in Bogota, Columbia, i.M.A.D.E director, Kevin R. Klinger, received the Best Paper Award with his paper entitled: “Connect Globally | Make Locally: Cases in Design-Through-Production Collaboration Between the Academy and Industry.” The SIGraDi 2010 conference theme for this year was Disruption, Modeling and Construction: Shifting Dialogues.