This prototype, inspired by the façade of the AMET School by Nuru Karim, was fabricated by laser cutting the vertical louvers and the supporting horizontal structure with appropriate joint tolerances so the use of glue, screws and nails is avoided.

REFERENCE FACADE

The ‘AMET school’ is a 6,500 sq.m international school located in Lonavala, Maharashtra, India. The architects, inspired by the picturesque hillside of the site, designed the undulating facade, build up of rib-like fins, which frame and release views, thus directly engaging with the setting. 

Karim’s multi-storey design aims to serve as a visual marker within the area. The main façade is made up of a series of vertical fin elements that cover the complete length of the structure. By subtly shifting these elements in shape and profile, the façade provides solar shading and varying light conditions within the interior.

Source: Karim, Nuru. “Amet School | Designboom.Com.” Designboom | Architecture & Design Magazine, 5 Mar. 2013, www.designboom.com/project/amet-school/. Accessed 16 Oct. 2020.

PROCESS

For the successful assembly of this model, acrylic and plywood were also tested to find the most suitable material. The final model was cut from a sheet of 800x600mm MDF with a thickness of 4mm. The testing also involved tolerances of the joining parts to ensure a perfect fit of the parts together.

The fabrication process took approximately 2 hours and included some issues such as the laser not cutting all the way through the material, so a second round of cutting was necessary, which slowed down the process a little bit. The testing of tolerances proved to be very useful and successful in the assembly of the final model. In the end the frame was carved into so the horizontal supporting structure could be fitted into the frame.

PRODUCTION DATA

FABRICATION STRATEGY

MODEL SECTION

FINAL MODEL

Fabricating Parametric Skins: AMET School is a project of IAAC, Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia developed in the Master of Advanced Architecture 2020/21 by Students:  Aniket Vijay Sonawane, Liang Mayuqi, Rana Ibrahim and Tsvetelina Bogdanova and Faculty: Ricardo Mayor Luque, Lana Awad and Shyam Zonca