The Purple STEAM, an abstract robotic 3D-printed pavilion - Parametric Architecture

The Purple STEAM is simply a robotic printed pavilion designed by Portland-based decorator Volkan Alkanoglu and located astatine the forecourt of Durham County Main Library successful Durham, North Carolina. The robotically 3D-printed abstract operation is astir 5.4 meters tall, 9.70 meters long, 4.5 meters wide, and 218 kg.

Alkanoglu worked with Tennessee-based 3D printing specializer Branch Technology for fabrication and YetiWerkurks for engineering. The pavilion was 3D-printed with ABS filament and different sustainable materials. The signifier was created successful Autodesk 3ds Max and optimized via Grasshopper and Rhino.

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Inspiration of the Purple STEAM came from Alice Walker’s Pulitzer prize-winning “The Color Purple” and Crockett Johnson’s children’s publication “Harold and the Purple Crayon.” The structure’s purple tones look successful antithetic colors astatine nighttime and during the day, depending connected the light.

The 3D-printed enactment produces spatial ambiguity and aesthetic effects by merging, mixing, and overlaying its hundreds of abstracted components utilizing unsocial exertion and dynamic shape. The pavilion looks astatine the opposition betwixt time and night. The ambiance created by the installation successful the abstraction creates a speechmaking and gathering constituent for the visitors.

Project Info

Structural Engineering: YetiWeurks
Landscape and Light: Carolina Outdoor Lighting Professionals, Inc.
Fabrication and Installation: Branch Technology
Photography: Ryan Tyler Martinez
Client: Durham County Government
Location: Durham County Main Library, Durham NC
Date: 2020
Status: Completed
Photography: Ryan Tyler Martinez