The Perforated Wall, ETH Zurich, 2006
Elective Course

In this project we investigated the architectural potential of perforations in a 1:1 building element. After several design studies and the manufacture of prototypes from polystyrene panels, two walls were realised in concrete. The individual holes could be controlled in terms of four parameters: their position, the angle of their deflection from the surface, their rotation about their centre, and their size. Their distribution on the wall could be designed through globally acting forces of attraction and repulsion; a dynamic system oriented the holes against one another until a state was reached in which there was no overlap. The deflection from the surface and the size of the holes, on the other hand, were controlled via the colour values of a digital image file. These algorithmic tools offered the students an intuitive route into design, and were used to complement the programming of their own logics of distribution and orientation.

Credits:
Gramazio & Kohler, Architecture and Digital Fabrication, ETH Zurich

In cooperation with: IFB ETH Zurich
Collaborators: Daniel Kobel (project lead), Ralph Bärtschi, Michael Lyrenmann
Selected experts: Patrick Stähli (IFB), August Morf (Holzco-Doka AG), Marcel Schneider (Holcim AG)
Industry partner: Holcim AG, Holzco-Doka AG, Geberit AG
Students: Ladina Esslinger, Chris Keller, Willy Stähelin, Lorenz Weingart