Form & Function

Project #1

Form & Function

This project examines the relationship of form and function in architectural design. It encourages the awareness of truth, whatever position the designer takes, and promotes the arbitrary aesthetic of “functional” beauty.

Three Prototypes:

#1

Arch

Bridge

#2

Truss

Bridge

#3

Cantilever

Bridge

AutoCad Drawings

Artifacts:

Cad Drawings:

Simple Function:

The adjustable wrench is simply broken into something that rotates and cause something to move upward or downward.

The Vice Grip is simply broken into a 4 hinge system. When closed it causes something to rotate or rise.

The Wine opener is simply broken into 2 gears connected to a mass that when lowered it turns the gears causing a rotation.

3 by 3 Tables

Preliminary Designs:

Final Design

Elevations

3D Elevations

The transformation from the original truss bridge involved lifting the original structure and designing a similar structure on top connecting the tower containing the mechanism.

The artifact I decided to use was the wine cork. I integrated it into the truss bridge using 3 pulleys, 1 for the counter weight on the left and the other two are to give mechanical advantage to lift the road. The wine cork is suspended on tracks as the mass drops the gear rotates and ravels up the cord which pulls up the road.