Fabricating Plasticity The Art and Technology of Design with Aluminium

Fabricating Plasticity explores methods for designing aluminum panellized wall systems in a book as beautiful as a coffee table book yet as instructive as a technical guide. These systems allow you to consider structural performance, minimize use of raw materials, and optimize assembly and fabrication processes. Organized by techniques, the book discusses how architects have used aluminum, explains thermoforming of aluminum and how it compares to different metal-forming techniques, its applications by designers within fields such as aerospace and product design, and whether it's a sustainable material, giving you all the information you need to get started. Built case studies from some of the world's best architects and industrial designers along with prototypes designed and built at full-scale by students illustrate the principles described, so you can see what's already worked. Includes industrial design and architectural work by Alessi, Ron Arad, Foreign Office Architects, Marc Fornes, Norman Foster, Future Systems, Zaha Hadid, Thomas Heatherwick, Herzog and deMeuron, Jakob & McFarlane, Greg Lynn, Marc Newson, Renzo Piano, and REX.

Foreword. Preface. Acknowledgments. Introduction. 1. On the Uses of Aluminium in Architecture 2. On the Material Plasticity of Aluminium 3. On Contemporary Theories of Plasticity 4. The Form: Applications of heat and pressure to shape aluminium (including case studies in industrial design and architecture) 5. The Superplastic Forming Process 6. The Part: Tessellation 7. The Mold: Tooling 8. The Seam 9. The Finish: Post processing. Conclusion. Notes. Resources. Appendix. Image Credits. Index