«What walks down stairs, alone or in pairs, And
makes a slinkity sound?A spring, a
spring, a marvelous thing, Everyone knows it’s Slinky…It’s Slinky,
it’s Slinky, for fun it’s a wonderful toyIt’s Slinky,
it’s Slinky, it’s fun for a girl and a boy!»
It’s popular jingle to have been
written in USA
as a commercial in
1962. Slinky is a toy consisting of a helicalspring that can travel down stairs end-over-end as it stretches and re-forms
itself with the aid of gravity and its own momentum. This main property could
be used in creating soft space concept. Our purpose is to design a helical
spring space adapted to “walk”- to coil, oscillate…to creep.
In
general “Slinky” conception could be used in different environmental
conditions: landscapes, streets, climate street and traffic system etc because
of its indefinite changeable state. So it is possible to insert soft spaces to
urban structure practically without limitation. To Give the examples of this
concept Sign symbols, it was found several illustrations of boa from worldknown
book Antoine de Saint-Exupery’s “The little prince”. boa, which swallowed an
elephant, is exact association around flexible space. We can imagine Slinky
that “swallows” - include some of urban elements,
or connects some districts, blocks, buildings.
In
designing an environment, people shouldn’t be restricted by their habitat; we
could play with dimensions, location, content, functions of this space, like an
exciting game. Thank to it’s uncertainty we can stretch, twist, rotate, curve,
transfer, even to make an cross cap, infinite symbol it without substantially
force, to create own space by ourselves and enjoy just it. Stretching property
makes possible for permeability changing, to become more or less transparency,
open, intimate. In compact state it represents rather closer dense space, but
it can transfer to entertainments immediately.
Creeping, stretching and taking stable
shape are possible because of ball and
socket joints and internal tension and compression forces. Joints being
dispersed give the capability to anchor and link up to the communications.
It’s hard to classify something
indefinite, but we tried and arranged Slinky alphabet, which includes basic
possible figures.
Speaking about softness, square
cross section form isn’t the most optimal natural structure. Minimal helical
structure dimensions and proportions are determined in accordance with human
ones and determined by previous item minimal sizes of facilities such: bed,
bath, kitchen, public conveniences, reception etc. parameters. Changeable inner
modules form variable habitat.
Circle is perfect figure with
minimal area surface and equal distribution of inner forces. But circle turn
cross section should respond to gravity and support reaction forces. That’s why
it evolves into bean form of turns. This makes possible also to change cross
section dimensions: width ad height. It is the balanced dynamic system. Turns
cross section is evolves from rectangular section to more viable flexible
forms. It includes an insulatingmembrane and “veins” – engineering communications.