CCA Advanced Studio:
“CLOUD CITY”
“CLOUD CITY”
Academic Project - Spring 2023
Professor: Jason Kelly Johnson
Group Project
Ali Farajmandi & Ben Grisly
Ali Farajmandi & Ben Grisly
Software and Tools:
Rhino · Grasshopper · Lumion · Photoshop · 3D-Printing · Laser Cutting
Rhino · Grasshopper · Lumion · Photoshop · 3D-Printing · Laser Cutting
This studio project, “The Cloud City,” is an exciting exploration of the possibilities for the western section of the San Francisco Oakland Bay Bridge in 2123. Our team is using emerging technologies and AI to repurpose the bridge’s superstructure as a social, cultural, and ecological catalyst for the region. The challenge is to create innovative and sustainable solutions using Voronoi shapes, including hydroponic systems for a guy rebuilding his ancestors’ vineyard.
Expansion Diagram
Robots were utilized to construct and 3D print the Voronoi cells, evoking the image of a growing vine with grapes hanging from it.
Spaces:
By combining these shapes with collective program elements like gardens & community spaces, we aim to inspire ritual, meaning, and contribute to a better future for the city, region, and civilization as a whole. Accumulating new architectural objects converts the bridge from a static and obsolete relic into a dynamic and evolving monument.
The facility incorporates three enclosure types: closed, transparent, and open, each housing a smaller-scale structure printed using the same process. In closed and transparent enclosures, the space serves for storage and seedling propagation, while the open structure supports plant vines on the hydroponic frame.
The facility incorporates three enclosure types: closed, transparent, and open, each housing a smaller-scale structure printed using the same process. In closed and transparent enclosures, the space serves for storage and seedling propagation, while the open structure supports plant vines on the hydroponic frame.
Advanced robotics manage propagation, tending, and harvesting, with drones efficiently executing tasks across the structure to optimize growth and yield.
Model Fabrication:
The 3D model, built at a scale of 1':1/4", consists of 36 unique Voronoi pieces, each precisely coded and printed for its specific position.
These pieces are divided into three types:
13 transparent forms representing glass spaces, 11 solid forms for enclosed areas, and
12 wireframe cells for open spaces.
These pieces are divided into three types:
13 transparent forms representing glass spaces, 11 solid forms for enclosed areas, and
12 wireframe cells for open spaces.
In some of the open spaces, smaller Voronoi cells are integrated for added detail.
