Designed Granular Matter allows for the calibration of mechanical properties. If applied in an architectural context structural stability is of prime relevance paired with the granulate’s intrinsic capacity for reconfiguration.

One method for increasing structural stability is the increase of interlocking arms in a non-convex polyhedron generated by geometric cumulation.The numerical simulations conducted in ITASCA PFC 5.0 investigate the dynamic behaviour of such cumulated icosahedra as well as their capacity to interlock into stable structures needing no additional formwork.

Institute for Computational Design
K Dierichs, Professor A Menges

ITASCA Consulting Group, Inc.
Dr S Emam, Dr L te Kamp, Dr M Purvance, Dr R Taghavi