ORIGAMI-SCISSOR Hinged Geometry Method

The diamond origami-scissor hinged pattern marks a new type of thick origami that can not only fold and unfold, but also expand and contract (project below). This was done by applying the ‘form generation method of relative ratios’ for two-bar scissors to the thick origami. This research tests whether this method can be extended and generalized to other types of origami. The origami-scissor hinged geometry method is here applied to the waterbomb of thick panels making a waterbomb origami-scissor hinged pattern. While the waterbomb origami of thick panels has one degree of freedom, the waterbomb origami-scissor hinged pattern has two degrees of freedom as it can independently fold and unfold as an origami, and expand and contract as a scissor hinged structure. This creates a new research branch of expandable thick origami. The ‘form generation method of relative ratios’ (FGMORR) [Rivas-Adrover 17] has been applied to the ‘origami of thick panels’ [Chen et al. 15] because this method to make thick origami can be extended and generalized to different types of origami, and therefore the origami-scissor hinged geometry method can also be applied to all these different types of origami. A critical condition is that the thick origami has to be made of equal or proportional thicknesses so that when translating that geometry with scissors the end nodes match. Another condition is that the pantographs that mark the creases and join different origami faces must have an equal morphology and bilateral symmetry. Automation of this method will be investigated with Grasshopper for Rhinoceros. Origami-scissor hinged patterns provide an extra degree of freedom, therefore origami patterns that could be folded can now also contract and occupy much smaller volumes. This would be useful in applications where a high ratio of deployed-to stowed volume is required such as space applications, earthbound transportable applications, and to create adaptable spaces and transformable environments in permanent architecture

A New Hybrid Type of Deployable Structure: Origami-scissor Hinged

Deployable structures can transform, expand and contract due to their geometric, material and mechanical properties; applications spread across multiple fields including aerospace technology and temporary, mobile and transformable architecture. There are many different types of deployable structures. For instance, the art of origami has developed concepts for paper folds that can expand and contract. Another type is that of scissorhinged structures, made by bars joined by pivots. These two different types, origami and scissors, have so far remained separate types within the field. This geometry research unifies both types and makes an origamiscissor structure, which has a double deployment. This new technology has potential applications in architecture and engineering, such as transportable pavilions, aerospace or robotic applications

A natural and readily available crowding agent: NMR studies of proteins in hen egg white

In vitro studies of biological macromolecules are usually performed in dilute, buffered solutions containing one or just a few different biological macromolecules. Under these conditions, the interactions among molecules are diffusion limited. On the contrary, in living systems, macromolecules of a given type are surrounded by many others, at very high total concentrations. In the last few years, there has been an increasing effort to study biological macromolecules directly in natural crowded environments, as in intact bacterial cells or by mimicking natural crowding by adding proteins, polysaccharides, or even synthetic polymers. Here, we propose the use of hen egg white (HEW) as a simple natural medium, with all features of the media of crowded cells, that could be used by any researcher without difficulty and inexpensively. We present a study of the stability and dynamics behavior of model proteins in HEW, chosen as a prototypical, readily accessible natural medium that can mimic cytosol. We show that two typical globular proteins, dissolved in HEW, give NMR spectra very similar to those obtained in dilute buffers, although dynamic parameters are clearly affected by the crowded medium. The thermal stability of one of these proteins, measured in a range comprising both heat and cold denaturation, is also similar to that in buffer. Our data open new possibilities to the study of proteins in natural crowded media. Proteins 2011. © 2010 Wiley-Liss, Inc

Classification of geometry for deployable structures used for innovation: Design of new surfaces with scissor 2 bar, and form generation method of relative ratios

Deployable structures can expand and/or contract due to their geometrical, material and mechanical properties. This research proposes a classification of geometry for deployable structures. This classification system applied to structures made with scissor 2 bar can lead to architectural innovation. This is demonstrated in the case study of a new design for surfaces based on scissors 2 bar. Through this case study a form generation method of relative ratios is formulated that can be applied to infinite geometrical arrangements. This geometry classification is an attempt to seek further understanding of the subject of deployable structures. In order to gain a comprehensive understanding of this field, different ways of ordering information are being considered

TRANSFORMING ARCHITECTURE MADE WITH SCISSORHINGED DEPLOYABLE STRUCTURES: ALHAMBRA PAVILIONS IN CAMBRIDGE MARKET SQUARE

Scissor-hinged deployable structures, made by units of bars joined by a pivot, can generate large complex lattice structures that can expand and contract. So far scissor-hinged deployable structures had been designed one by one, and scissor hinged surfaces have been made of grid lines made of triangles and squares. The ‘form generation method of relative ratios’ (FGMORR) by Rivas-Adrover can be applied to infinite combinations of lines and can therefore generate infinite scissor-hinged structures with an optimum deployment. This is here demonstrated by applying the FGMORR to a combination of lines from the Alhambra in order to make a new scissor-hinged surface. Also, while so far scissor-hinged technology has been used to generate surfaces, here it has been demonstrated that the FGMORR allows for creating not only the surface or roof, but also its supports. While this research extends the theory of the FGMORR for scissor -hinged deployable structures, it has also given a clear outline of the assembly and deployment strategy, as well as a potential intervention. The Alhambra pavilions in Cambridge Market Square demonstrate that this sustainable technology can embody cultural symbols, and can embrace the concepts of identity, place and culture; this therefore allows a conversation equally relevant that interacts with contemporary life, future technologies, and historical heritage

THE ART AND SCIENCE OF TRANSFORMABLE ARCHITECTURE: Geometry Theory for 2 Bar Scissor-Hinged and Expandable Origami-Scissor Hinged Deployable Structures

Deployable structures can transform and/or expand and contract due to their geometrical, material and mechanical properties. This technology enables an architecture that can be transportable, mobile, adaptable, rapidly built, reusable and that makes efficient use of space and materials and therefore embraces the concept of sustainability. Currently, a wide range of deployable structures are being generated by different disciplines, in many different types of materials and that can vary hugely in scale and application. This is a relatively new field of research, and contemporary literature is made mostly of dislocated studies, where one by one, a new structure is developed, without an understanding of how different deployable structures relate to one another. While contemporary research has placed a lot of emphasis on structural efficiency, material properties and actuators, this research focuses on their geometry in order to generate a comprehensive understanding that can also lead to architectural innovation. This research proposes that different deployable structures can share common geometric properties. By carrying out an analysis of scissor-hinged case studies, this research has created a visual framework that explains the geometry of these structures. This visual framework illustrates how the scissor hinged case studies have gradually evolved over time, increasing in complexity. This understanding has led to the creation of several geometric methods for scissor hinged deployable structures as well as thick origami that have generated architectural innovation as demonstrated by the case studies and built prototypes, therefore increasing our knowledge of what can be achieved with this technology. The research outcomes also challenge the categorical approach towards the understanding of different types of deployable structures, in particular through the creation of a new hybrid type of deployable structure: Origami-Scissor hinged. The significance in expanding the knowledge of what it is possible to achieve with deployable structures reverberates throughout multiple disciplines and exists at the very intersection of science and art. As well as exemplifying a sustainable emerging technology for architecture, deployable structures are being included in books of history of art in various educational centres in the world. These are also reusable and light structures that contribute to science and society in different dimensions: in a world constantly in change, they can provide accommodation in transitional stages of migrations and natural disasters, they can create adaptable environments and rapid construction strategies in permanent architecture, they can be used in stage design for entertainment. Deployable structures are also used in the International Space Station for space architecture; they are also used for satellites that facilitate world communication and for solar arrays that gather energy from the Sun. Therefore, to expand our knowledge of what is possible to achieve with deployable structures can significantly contribute to architecture on Earth and in space, as well as the complex multidisciplinary fields with which the subject engages.John Assael founder of Assael Architecture and member of the RIBA Counci