Timber De-Standardized

Timber De-Standardized is a framework that salvages irregular and regular shaped tree logs by utilizing a mixed reality (MR) interface for the design, fabrication, and assembly of a structurally viable tree log assembly. The process engages users through a direct, hands-on design approach to iteratively modify and design irregular geometry at full scale within an immersive MR environment without altering the original material. A digital archive of 3D scanned logs are the building elements from which users, designing in the MR environment, can digitally harvest (though slicing) and place the elements into a digitally constructed whole. The constructed whole is structurally analyzed and optimized through recursive feedback loops to preserve the user’s predetermined design. This iterative toggling between the physical and virtual emancipates the use of irregular tree log structures while informing and prioritizing the user’s design intent. To test this approach, a scaled prototype was developed and fabricated in MR. By creating a framework that links a holographic digital design to a physical catalog of material, the interactive workflow provides greater design agency to users as co-creators in processing material parts. This participation enables users to have a direct impact on the design of discretized tree logs that would otherwise have been discarded in standardized manufacturing. This paper presents an approach in which complex tree log structures can be made without the use of robotic fabrication tools. This workflow opens new opportunities for design in which users can freely configure structures with non-standardized elements within an intuitive MR environment.