BIOSTAGOG from Platige Image on Vimeo.
When futurists dream of fluid architecture, more digital image than brick and mortar, this is one element of what they mean.
From Warsaw, Poland comes a project combining algorithmic design, 3D-printed surfaces, and interactive motion turned into projection-mapped image. Yep, that ticks all the buzzword boxes. But the upshot really does signify something transformative here in all these trends: it shows an architectural surface imagined on computers that takes on new shapes and responds to its environment. So, while some of these particular interactions are familiar – apparently, no one gets tired of waving their arms in front of interactive mirrors – there may be greater potential beyond what you see here.
The project is the collaboration of two Polish firms, Bridge and Platige Image, for the former’s lobby. (Platige did the interactive work, in Kinect; Bridge, the 3D structure and mapping.) Rhino Grasshopper, the favored tool of 3D geometry lovers seen in the graphical patching screenshots here, was the medium for generating the geometry. For 3D printing, they turned to Desktop ZMorph printers, hardware based on the open-source RepRap project, and FDM technology. (Why, that’s Fused Deposition Modeling, for those of you not in the know – basically, it’s the additive technique you see in a lot of 3d printing.)
By the numbers: 3,160 cells, 800 panels. 3D printing isn’t fast: five machines working 24/7 took three months. (Maybe it’s time to go back to skilled stone masonry, after all.)
The interactive projection does more than just act as a mirror; behaviors change over time, say the creators, eventually turning your silhouette into an attractor for particles.
By the way, this is yet another example of Poland as creative powerhouse. Platige has a team of 150, and has walked away with four SIGGRAPH Main Prizes, a BAFTA Award, and nominations for the Cannes Golden Palm, Venice Golden Lion, and an Oscar. Both studios are doing incredible work:
http://www.brdg.pl
http://www.platige.com/
