Computing Minimal Surfaces

Class taught by Mania Aghaei Meibodi (University of Michigan)

Computing Minimal Surfaces

The Winter 2021 Advance Digital Fabrication course will focus on creating novel façade systems through exploring Minimal surfaces combined with additive manufacturing.

A minimal surface is the surface of minimal area between any given boundaries. Physical models of minimal surfaces can be made by dipping a wire frame into a soap solution, forming a soap film, which is a minimal surface whose boundary is the wire frame. The soup film is the result of an equilibrium of homogeneous tension. Frei Otto had extensively experimented with minimal surfaces via soap films. Thorough material computations – physical “form finding” – he discover optimal shapes for tensile structures relative to given or selected boundary conditions.

This course will further explore the materialization through additive manufacturing. Additive manufacturing, also known as 3D printing, is revolutionizing architecture and building processes. When applied to architectural elements, it enables geometric complexity, customization, precision, material reduction, and integration of multiple functions. This technology will not only lead to the materialization of novel geometrically-complex forms, but it will also enable the integration of multiple functions in a single building element through a fully digitized design-to-production process.