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Testing and Defining a Complex Design Through Digital and Physical Models

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Abstract

This paper presents the methodology adopted in an application of shape optimisation and digital fabrication conducted in the field of wooden furniture design. Experience has allowed the authors to define the models that support the creative process, identifying their respective peculiarities and their contribution to the design process as a process of experimentation, which takes place between digital and physical, not only defining the form of the idea but also correctly representing the tested model and its use, and allowing a dialogue between the stylistic requirements of the designed shape and the technical needs of the built one. The phases of the methodology are applied to the project of furnishing the lounge bar and restaurant area of the Oasis Skyview hotel in Doha (Qatar). The coordinated dialogue between the different models allows the definition of the design project, creating a workflow that significantly reduces the distance between the project and construction.

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Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank Devoto Design for testing the described method, and for the publication of the pictures related to the production of the panels and the on-site construction. The authors declare that they share the methodological approach, the structure of the contribution and its conclusions. They also acknowledge that Sections “Introduction”, “Principles for the Digital Description of the Continuous Form and its Discretisation” and “From Conceptual Model to Continuous Model” are attributed to Matteo Flavio Mancini while Sections “Analogue and Digital Prototypes”, “Application”, “From Mock‑up and Continuous Model to Procedural Model” and “From Procedural Model to Manufacturing Model” are attributed to Michele Calvano. All images are by the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Heritage Science, National Research Council of Italy, Rome, Italy

    Michele Calvano

  2. Department of Architecture, Roma Tre University, Rome, Italy

    Matteo Flavio Mancini

Authors
  1. Michele Calvano
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  2. Matteo Flavio Mancini
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Correspondence to Michele Calvano.

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Calvano, M., Mancini, M.F. Testing and Defining a Complex Design Through Digital and Physical Models. Nexus Netw J 23, 995–1016 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00004-021-00569-6

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