“Trees-Parency” is a workshop space for digital design and fabrication. This renovated double-deck project, formerly housing a robot arm, demonstrates an intensive collaboration between the designer and the automotive machine. Meanwhile, the U-glass panel, also termed as the factory glass, features a new instance of the architectural form.
To enlarge the ground floor for an open working space, a corridor was inserted on the south side of the existing building, which chiefly is composed of cargo containers. Furthermore, to properly accommodate an existing tree that extends into the proposed extra space, a curved curtain wall was designed to eliminate this confliction. This curvature was physically rebuilt by orchestrating a serial of U-shape glass panels that were buckled side by side. Following this concept, each of the panels must be strictly cut to precise lengths and chamfered with proper ends. The industrial robot arm was selected for developing a flexible manufacture system, which would be programmed and operated by the data retrieved from the Rhino model, a BIM database containing all information from design to fabrication. With these progressively varied semi-transparent panels, a bright hallway fits in with a gentle attitude towards the environment and connects all the ground chambers with two main entrances on both ends. Through the robotic technique, glass panels were able to be trimmed as the accurate reflection of the digital model, and assembled one by one on site. Compared to the normal construction solution, this digital solution is proven to save material, minimize labors, and breakthrough the performance limits of U-glass. A modernly designed, 3-D printed meeting table with the U-glass counter top was added to fulfill the consistency of U-glass from inside out.
This project was designed, fabricated, and built by Archi-Solution Workshop; lighting design by ZDP.
Chief architect and engineer: Dr. Yu Lei