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Architecture

WoodSkin aims to bridge the gap between virtual design and real construction

By Donna Taylor
June 05, 2013
WoodSkin aims to bridge the gap between virtual design and real construction
The current WoodSkin product is a sandwich of plywood triangular tiles with a textile mesh in-between (Image: MammaFotogramma)
The current WoodSkin product is a sandwich of plywood triangular tiles with a textile mesh in-between (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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The flexible composite sheets can be adjusted throughout the construction phase (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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The flexible composite sheets can be adjusted throughout the construction phase (Image: MammaFotogramma)
Sheets of production material can be easily joined together to cover large areas (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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Sheets of production material can be easily joined together to cover large areas (Image: MammaFotogramma)
The material has been used at AllezUp climbing wall in Montreal (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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The material has been used at AllezUp climbing wall in Montreal (Image: MammaFotogramma)
A composite nylon and polymer mesh is sandwiched between sheets of Finnish plywood, all of which is glued together using a custom mixed adhesive (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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A composite nylon and polymer mesh is sandwiched between sheets of Finnish plywood, all of which is glued together using a custom mixed adhesive (Image: MammaFotogramma)
The current WoodSkin product is a sandwich of plywood triangular tiles with a textile mesh in-between (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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The current WoodSkin product is a sandwich of plywood triangular tiles with a textile mesh in-between (Image: MammaFotogramma)
A three-part compression process strengthens the material to support its movements (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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A three-part compression process strengthens the material to support its movements (Image: MammaFotogramma)
Users can specify triangle size, geometry and density, as well as the thickness of wood ranging between 4 and 30 mm (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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Users can specify triangle size, geometry and density, as well as the thickness of wood ranging between 4 and 30 mm (Image: MammaFotogramma)
The sheets are cut into small modules by a CNC mill that creates the 3D pattern and breaks up the rigid surface (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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The sheets are cut into small modules by a CNC mill that creates the 3D pattern and breaks up the rigid surface (Image: MammaFotogramma)
The team is developing a custom Rhino software plugin to assist with the design process (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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The team is developing a custom Rhino software plugin to assist with the design process (Image: MammaFotogramma)
WoodSkin began as a response to the Autoprogettazione 2.0 open-source design competition in 2012, and currently has a patent pending (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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WoodSkin began as a response to the Autoprogettazione 2.0 open-source design competition in 2012, and currently has a patent pending (Image: MammaFotogramma)
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These days it seems the term architecture has broadened to encompass fantastical projects and shapes in the virtual domain. Interdisciplinary design studio MammaFotogramma hope to go someway towards bridging worlds real and virtual through the development of a flexible wood surfacing material named WoodSkin, which, being CNC-friendly, lends itself to all sorts of abstract forms.

WoodSkin is a sandwich of plywood triangular tiles with a textile mesh in between. The production process takes a composite nylon and polymer mesh and encases it between sheets of Finnish plywood, all of which are glued together using a custom mixed adhesive. A three-part compression process then strengthens the material to support its movements. The sandwiched materials are cut into small modules by a CNC mill that creates the 3D pattern and breaks up the rigid surface.

Adaptation to project requirements is key to WoodSkin’s ethos. Users can specify the triangle size, geometry and density within the sheet, as well as the thickness of wood ranging between 4 and 30 mm (0.15 and 1.18 in). WoodSkin is available in modules, sheets or rolls and has the ability to be linked together to form large continuous surfaces. When building your product, stability is achieved through the bends and folds or in some cases insertion of supporting struts. To complete a design, different finishes or waterproofing can be applied, and the company is exploring how it can offer different surface materials without breaking the industrial production process.

The material has been used at AllezUp climbing wall in Montreal (Image: MammaFotogramma)
The material has been used at AllezUp climbing wall in Montreal (Image: MammaFotogramma)

The end result MammaFotogramma hope, is a product that can emulate the meshes and points of computer aided design yet still be applicable to the panels and screws of everyday construction. The team is developing a custom plugin for 3D software package Rhino to assist with the design process and enable users to realize their desired shape at different sizes, materials and contexts.

WoodSkin began as a response to the Autoprogettazione 2.0 open-source design competition in 2012, and has a patent pending following its successful application at a climbing wall in Montreal. From here MammaFotogramma hope to continue product development and define new possibilities of flexibility in architecture and design.

The video below demonstrates the WoodSkin product.

Source: MammaFotogramma via ANBlog
Wood-Skin®

View gallery - 10 images

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3 comments
Donna Taylor
After years of working in software delivery, Donna seized the opportunity to head back to university and this time study a lifelong passion: Architecture. Originally from the U.K. and after living in many countries, Donna and her family are now settled in Western Australia. When not writing Donna can be found at the University of Western Australia's Architecture, Landscape and Visual Arts Department.

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3 comments
Bob Flint
Why not add a programmable memory mesh alloy? "Shape Shifting Sofa"
Ari Waldman
This is very adaptable to many different applications due to its' flexability. However if you leave it rigid it would make a beautiful wall cladding that could even be structural!
David Clarke
I suppose it seemed like a good idea at the time, but the video is not very convincing. There are only so many ways you can bend it. Its like a project from some design student.