C_Wall fascinates me because it can visually be light and delicate, but contrary to its appearance, it has surprising structural abilities.
From Matsys Design: ‘This project is the latest development in an ongoing area of research into cellular aggregate structures that has examined honeycomb and voronoi geometries and their ability to produce interesting structural, thermal, and visual performances.’
courtesy of Matsys
The geometry and layering produces an interesting play of light and shadows that enhances a sense of depth. The C_Wall is dynamic in the sense that the shadows transform depending on the angle of light and vantage point. The perforated wall especially with the zigzag-shaped plan, remind me of folds of lace. Its zigzag shape, the very thing that enhances the feeling of delicacy, actually gives the wall structural stability.
The form was developed thus: from one mass, to units, to voids within units, to panels for assembly. The form was deduced from the properties of the wall, as Matsys explain: ‘Within our research [the voronoi algorithm] is used as a tool to facilitate the translation and materialization of data from particle-simulations and other point-based data. Through this operation, points are transformed into volumetric cells which can be unfolded, CNC cut, and reassembled into larger aggregates.’
courtesy of Matsys
Matsys Design is an interdisciplinary studio, exploring ‘the emergent relationships between architecture, engineering, biology, and computation.’ Evidently the fusion of those different fields can reveal new possibilities. C_Wall is no longer another load-bearing element, but rather considers transparency and beauty in both a mereological and interactive sense: from the cells that make it to the person coming in contact with it.
By Aiysha Alsane
Courtesy of Matsys Design
