Designing with point clouds and whole timber

by Maxence Grangeot

CONTEXT

in the heart of the Swiss Alps...

...stand a historic castle and its barn, in the small town of Rennaz

PHOTOGRAPHS

integration in context

building overview

spaces - ground level

spaces - upper level

details

site specificity

Point Cloud Scanning

Remodeling the barn from the point cloud

barn point cloud processed through Faro Scene, Cloud Compare, Grasshopper and Volvox

remodel in Rhinoceros

remodel precision

current state - Section

Architectural HERITAGE?

In a strong historical context, the exterior appearance is preserved. The facades and the roof now act as a protecting structure of the new program.

What is patrimony?

What is heritage?

What is history?

point cloud as design input

The various functions of the program are implement in direct relation to the existing. The point cloud is thought at the based blueprint for the reconversion. By doing so, all the details gathered are preserved. The design is informed by technological tools, with a quantity and precision of information previously unachievable.

round wood module for structural accupuncture

ROUND WOOD SCANNING

ABB robotic arm and holding rig for 3D scanning and milling + point cloud scan of the robot in the working area at IBOIS, EPFL

tree forks batch scanning

large diameter round wood batch scanning

medium diameter round wood batch scanning

small diameter round wood batch scanning

courtesy of Petras Vestartas

inefficient timber industry

Because of technical requirements to extract large timber beams, only particular logs suits those criteria. Moreover, around 50 to 60 % of timber is wasted in that process.

Using whole timber as structural elements also benefits additional strength through the continuity of fibers, currently discontinued in traditional sawing methods