Tong Zi Dan

Tong Zi Dan is a series of generatively designed vases made from dental gypsum.

The objects were produced during the CAAD Wahlfach Praxis Course Chinaware, ETH Zürich. The shapes were designed together with Knut Brunier and produced with the help of Tom Roberts.

The initial egg design gets randomly populated by a cloud of points which form the center for surfaces that trim the shape perpendicular to its curvature. A generative algorithm (Galapagos) is then used to create the area of all faces within a certain min/max range. Finally the faces are unrolled and laid onto a flat sheet to allow the production of the mold with a laser cutter.

Pleated Meadows - IBA Basel 2020 competition entry

This is our proposal for the IBA Basel 2020 idea competition in the area Weil am Rhein (D) / Village Neuf (F).

Our strategy is to use the continuously changing water level of the river Rhine to create meadows which are differently flooded at different times of the year. This will result in a dynamic landscape that offers a variety of activities and new habitats for endangered species. The proposed environment, which can gradually change throughout the seasons, but also significantly within just a few hours, will form a trans-regional point of attraction and revalue both, the French and the German side of the river.