Laboratory of Digital Elementarization

Project idea

This thesis explores a neglected and often marginalised approach to architecture creation through the Copy-Paste method. It is based on a study of the theoretical background contained in the publications *Elements of Architecture* by Rem Koolhaas and *Copy-Paste: The Badass Architectural Copy Guide* by Winy Maas. Based on these sources, thesis explores the possibilities of applying the method to the architectural elements present on the campus of the Faculty of Fine Arts BUT, combining them with digital spatial modifications.

Through analytical research and reinterpretation of these architectural elements, the thesis opens up new avenues of architectural creation, which are further developed in the design of a new building intended for experimental artistic and architectural activity.

The resulting design reflects the desire to create a space that allows for the direct application of theoretical approaches to the environment of architectural education. The aim is to encourage students to experiment, to explore architectural elements more deeply and to allow them to create freely on a 1:1 scale.

Project description

This thesis focuses on the way architectural elements are composed, modified and reshaped to acquire a new function. It is a process of taking specific elements from the immediate surroundings of the Faculty of Fine Arts (FAVU) and then composing them into new units. In the area where the proposed building is to be located, there is already an urban planning study for a new building for the Faculty of Architecture at Brno University of Technology, and the current FAVU building and its associated parts.

From these buildings and their parts, specific architectural elements will be selected - either from the state before or after the planned reconstruction - which will then be copied, modified and reassembled. From the selected elements, a certain number of elements will be chosen to undergo digital modification as required. As part of this modification, changes will be made to their material, volumetric and functional properties. From the resulting catalogue, suitable components will be selected for both structural and non-structural use. Methodologically, this approach can be compared to stacking wooden blocks or bricks - the individual elements are layered and combined to form a new whole. I discuss the final form of these elements in more detail in the following section of the thesis.

Technical information

Tthe load-bearing parts of the structure are transferred from the materiality of the original element to the materiality of the new one. Since the modified elements require a specific shape solution, cast-in-place reinforced concrete in prefabricated moulds was chosen as the main structural system. The elements will be cast in the factory as prefabricated parts, then transported to the site and fitted.

Most of the elements can be laid loose on site, but will be secured on site by welding or fitted into a tongue-and-groove system to ensure stability. The system is designed so that individual elements can be stacked without the need for additional supports; the element becomes load-bearing immediately after installation.

Non-load bearing elements such as windows and doors will be made of aluminium. Large elements, such as pivot doors, will be individually manufactured. Pivot reinforced concrete doors will be adapted to the structural requirements - with a steel core made of welded steel, encased in monolithic concrete.

Documentation

Show PDF 1