Fractal Voronoi

Abstract

Fractal Voronoi aims to produce a design with fractal behavior, which can later be imagined in the site i.e. Barcelona Pavilion by Mies van der Rohe. Fractal design refers to a curve or geometrical figure, each part of which has the same character as the whole. They are useful in modelling structures (such as snowflakes) in which similar patterns recur at progressively smaller scales, and in describing partly random or chaotic phenomena such as crystal growth and galaxy formation.

Concept

The design works on the concept of making a fractal design with the basic concept of Voronoi Design.

The Voronoi diagram is a mathematical formula used in many scientific fields and use of that goes as far as Descartes. The
Voronoi diagram is a system that divides the space into sub-spaces in an organic way. The diagram uses points to create
cells that surround these points. Points can be placed as spontaneously or can be determined in the direction of a certain data
and tessellation can be provided accordingly. Use of Voronoi diagram in fields such as architecture and urban design has
increased with the widespread of use of parametric design in architecture. source

Grasshopper Code Generation

Pre-Loop Code

The process is to make a rectangular surface with the dimensions of the slab of the Barcelona Pavilion. Then to populate the surface using Populate 2D. Later the Voronoi Code is used to created a voronoi surface. This surface is later deconstructed into defined faces and edges from which center can be obtained. This center can be used to scale the defined surfaces down to make a new surface which can be moved on z-unit to create a loft. This loft is the input that the Anemone will use to create fractal loop. The grasshopper code below is the code used in the design.

Pre-Loop Code

Anemone Loop Code

The Lofted Voronoi Geometry is created before the loop as this loft will have a different height than what we need in the fractal design. This is why there is another loft function inside the loop with smaller height so that a defined set of loop is being created without any surfaces intersecting one another. The loop consists of loft commands, voronoi command and an exit point command that are connected to different data points- D0, D1, D2. All the data are set under the loop and then fractal brep is created in the end which is later smoothened with the use of Weaverbird’s Mesh Thicken and Weaverbird’s Catmull-Clark Subdivision. You can also give the design color with the help of Custom Preview.

Anemone Code

 Iterations

Animation

Renders

Credits

Algorithmic Emergence // Fractal Voronoi is a project of IaaC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed at Master in Advanced Architecture in 2020/2021 by:
Student: Shubham Dahedar
Faculty: Rodrigo Aguirre
Assistant: Ashkan Foroughi Dehnavi