RESPONSIVE MATERIAL

2019 Fall

Structure / Installation 

This project started with researching materiality and noticing how important nature is to design, both physically and emotionally. Pinecones are responsive to the climate and they open and close depending on the humidity. Getting inspired by the responsive aspect of pinecones and the folding mechanism they use, this project is about designing a reactive system along the High Line that responds to nature as well as interacts with the visitors of the High Line. This structure/shade is manipulative, and it allows people to engage with strangers and creates a memorable experience. The skin of the structure responds to nature (sun and humidity) while interacting with movements.

Inspired by the pinecone's folding mechanism, I started to fold origami to explore forms and shapes. The final origami shape was the hyperbolic paraboloid shape, which allowed the form to be folded completely flat.