Digital Steam-Bending: Developing a Parametrically Adaptable Wishbone Structural System

摘要

thonet, aalto, EAMES-these are some of the names that come to mind if you think of bending wood into complex foims through the application of steam. A research group at the University of Michigan decided to revisit this 19th century technique with 21st century digital tools. Using parametric modeling coupled with CNC technology, the group pushed the material to its limits, using a series of failure points as the basis for generating form. The group designed and tested two structural systems, one based on Michael Thonet's iconic No. 14 bistro chair, and another based on a wishbone pattern found in the canoe construction techniques of the Great Lakes region. This wishbone system, now being considered for movable pavilion structures, has been built through to full-scale prototypes.