Twisted Origami
Researching Structural Techniques
The focus is on exploring this synergistic relationship through hands on experimentation with structurally active models and the development of dynamic, iterative, digital simulations.
Location: The canopy is set in Paine’s Park. It is mixed-use public space, designed with skateboarding in mind, set along the banks of the Schuylkill River adjacent to the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Area: Total area: 30,000 ft² (2787 m²)
Context: It is a public skate park along the Schuylkill River Trail that opened in 2013. The park features a variety of ledges, rails, and benches for skaters of all skill levels and has on-site seating for those who prefer to sit and relax. Paine’s park was started with the goal of combining skateboarding, architecture, and city planning to create a quality experience for Philadelphia skateboarders and visitors. During the year, the park hosts live music, outdoor movie screenings, local food trucks, and a variety of other events.
The objective of the design was to enhance the space visually and meet the physical and thermal comfort needs of the occupants of the park.
ANALYSIS:
The site is a skate park and it has elements far apart from each other. This enables the wind to scoop down at various places thus enhancing the downdraft effect. In Philadelphia the winds tend to be cooler. This increases thermal discomfort in the space. The skate park is constructed out of concrete. Concrete has a high thermal mass. Since there isn’t any predominate shading element on the site apart from a few trees, the sun beams over all the occupants throughout the day. The heat from the sun is mitigated by the cool winds during the year.
OBSERVATION:
The PMV Value is lower than 0 most of the year. This means that occupants find the space too cold for comfort. One can reduce the wind speed by adding barriers in the direction of the wind thereby maneuvering the wind away from the site. Natural barriers include trees, shrubs, etc. Manufactured shading devices can also be included such as a deployable pavilion. Considering the site is a skate park, another proposal would include ramps and slopes in the direction of the wind. An alternate design intervention would be to design a canopy or pavilion in the direction of the wind that also has the added benefit of shading the site for the occupants
The design consists of a steel hyperbolic structure with steps that is surrounded with two light-weight canopies with perforations. The central pavilion allows users to pass over the ramp below without disturbing the skate boarders.
Daylight Analysis
The entire structure is to be made from stainless steel of a thickness of 2 cm. A subsequent daylight analysis was run to measure the incident daylight on the space to evaluate the safety and comfort for the users. The pavilion intervention is reduces the direct heat and light within the comfort range for human use.
