Alloplastic Architecture: The Design of an Interactive Tensegrity Structure

Abstract

This paper attempts to document the crucial questions addressed and analyze the decisions made in the design of an interactive structure. One of the main contributions of this paper is to explore how a physical environment can change its shape to accommodate various spatial performances based on the movement of the user’s body. The central focus is on the relationship between materials, form and interactive systems of control.Alloplastic Architecture is a project involving an adaptive tensegrity structure that responds to human movement. The intention is to establish a scenario whereby a dancer can dance with the structure such that it reacts to her presence without any physical contact. Thus, three issues within the design process need to be addressed: what kind of structure might be most appropriate for form transformation (structure), how best to make it adaptive (adaptation) and how to control the movement of the structure (control). Lessons learnt from this project, in terms of its structural adaptability, language of soft form transformation and the technique of controlling the interaction will provide new possibilities for enriching human-environment interactions.