The Advanced tranSTUDIO 2024 is taught by Negar Kalantar as part of the Advanced Studio: Digital Craft at California College of the Arts. This studio brings together both graduate and undergraduate students to explore digital craft and material experimentation through hands-on research and fabrication. The project investigates how deployable structures can efficiently capture moisture from the atmosphere, utilizing principles of biomimicry, material science, and innovative fabrication techniques.
Key Research Areas:
Passive Water Harvesting Strategies: Examining natural and architectural precedents like fog nets, dew collection surfaces, and biomimetic materials.
Transformable Structures: Implementing scissor mechanisms (parallel, non-parallel, and angulated) to create compact, rapidly deployable pavilions.
Material Science & Fabrication: Engaging with Thomas Schutzius from UC Berkeley to explore advanced materials for water collection and surface interactions.
Digital Fabrication: Utilizing CNC routing and laser cutting to prototype scalable, adaptive structures.
Sustainability & Application: Designing self-sufficient pavilions capable of harvesting water without external energy sources.
Student Explorations & Prototypes
Students developed a range of deployable prototypes, each integrating passive water collection strategies with innovative structural transformations:
LAND SPONGE: Inspired by sea sponges and cacti, this foldable structure captures and channels water efficiently.
VertiFlow: A dynamic, flower-like system using angulated scissor mechanisms to optimize fog harvesting.
S-Curve Eddies: A compact, deployable wall system designed to harvest moisture from fog-heavy environments.
HydroPop: A transformable pavilion extracting water from the air through modular surface adaptations.
NubilaBloom: A biomimetic fog-catching system that opens and closes to enhance water collection.
Hanging Canopy Pavilion: A structural canopy integrating folded topography with passive water harvesting techniques.
The Twirl (\u0627\u0644\u062A\u062F\u0648\u064A\u0631): A kinetic pavilion emphasizing human interaction while facilitating moisture collection.
SAVE: A resource-conscious structure balancing space efficiency and water-harvesting performance.
Active Bending Water Pavilion: Utilizing active bending principles to dynamically adapt for enhanced moisture capture.
Through research, prototyping, and material studies, this project showcases how adaptable architectural solutions can address water scarcity while advancing computational design, fabrication, and environmental resilience.