#basic-design

In the last semester’s mid-term project of Computation-based Basic Design 2, we experimented with the casting method for studying solids and voids. Students worked in groups of four. First, they designed a set of components within a 10cm bounding cube. These cubes represent 1m3 on a 1:10 scale. After that, they multiplied them into a system of voids with a function for human use. They fabricated at least 24 pieces in the final 3d composition. David Umemoto’s Soma Cubes was…

This project started as a study on a geometric method called quadror, but resulted in an amazing self-standing structure with the capability to fold flat. Initially, after Ayza made lots of sketches and models, the project team continued the research and finally, they managed to build one prototype only in two days. Here are some photos of this project but there are much more variations and models on their own blog linked below: Below are some photos of their research:…

Another well-organized group of students produced this self-standing structure in only a couple of days. This group joined the same 8mm wooden plates into a set of components of 8-sided polyhedra. Then, they joined these components in a fashion that the macro form emerged from the angles of their geometry. Below are some of the pictures of their production phases: The final prototype Some phases of the production Model of the component and the macro form. *Students: Başak Ayris Karayiğit,…

A very hard-working group from this year’s Computation-based Basic Design Studio produced this amazing structure. They joined 8mm cnc-cut wooden plates using puzzle-like cuts and tightened them with strings. A good example of group coordination produced this result in two days. Below are some photos of the prototype and the project phases: Final prototype. Interlocking Structure The joint details and the first experiments. *Students: Aslı Naz Çolakoğlu, Aybike Yılmaz, Bilge Kardelen Bekiroğlu, Büşra Hamzaoğlu, Ceren Bilen, Simay Uluca, Zülal Atakul Here…

In this final project for İBU Basic Design Studio in 2015, wooden sticks are arranged to produce ruled surfaces for various uses such as sitting, leaning, etc. Here are some photos of the final prototype and its production phases. Final prototype Digital model First sketches. *Students: Dilara Çerçi, Elham Kaya, Gizem Kama, Gül Zorlu, Gülşah Kılıç, Orhan Ünver, Yiğit Altındağ, Sena Ortaç Here is the students’ blog on this project.

The Hose is our last material system of 2014, designed and produced at the Computation-based Basic Design I studio section. We instructed this section together with Can Sucuoğlu and Birgül Çolakoğlu. This group of students succeeded in developing a flexible but strong connection detail. It allowed them to generate the desired macro form quickly. However, the overall look of the final composition should have been much better. Because, it was placed in a little hurry, due to the snow and heavy rains….

The 2015 Basic Design Studio was one of the good seasons. The project named “Fireball” is an example of high concentration. A group of students developed a material system from a very weak connection detail. The interesting part of the project was making it possible to stand by itself. They created the result purely by experimentation. In the beginning, they decided on the components and the overall geometric composition. So their research focused more on the possibility and precision of the materials…

This student project named Happy Ivy was lightweight but also very strong, a good start for research on fibrous structures. The 2015 group of first-year Basic Design students explains their project as; Arboriform, meaning “something tree-shaped” was the central theme of the project, however, we decided to focus more on the entwining movement of ivy. In order to create a material system that reflects this entwining behavior, we chose to research fibrous structures, specifically PVC hoses. It was a challenge to understand…

This is a student project on Computation-based Basic Design at Bilgi. The group of students completed it in the 2015 Spring semester. This research was very successful in achieving its intended physical performance, which was holding on to a tree designed for (and even near climbing up in some cases). The system is lightweight yet very powerful, holding on but not causing any harm to its “host body“, the tree. The group of students named the design “Commensal” and explained…

This is an unfinished research on textile tensegrity technique, developed at Basic Design I Studio of Istanbul Bilgi University. The result was not satisfactory as a design outcome, but yet an interesting educational experiment. Students explain their project as follows: Coral reefs and corals themselves were starting points of our research. After analyzing some of the coral forms and a couple of studio sessions, we came up with experiments of using “textile tensegrity” in our designs. We got inspired by many…