Ohio State University assistant professor Justin Diles has been announced as winner of the TEX-FAB Plasticity International Design Competition for his proposal, Plastic Stereotomy. Selected from 70 entries by a jury consisting of Craig Dykers, Bill Kreysler, Roland Snooks and Greg Lynn, Diles’ entry received top honors for its “approach to blending structural capacity with anthropologic sensitivity,” and for being “aesthetically interesting.”
More about the potential of Plastic Stereotomy, after the break.
Plastic Stereotomy project description by Justin Diles:
“Viva plastic! Plastic Stereotomy positions plasticity at the beginning of the design process by exploring the multiple, latent volumetric tessellations hidden in simple structural configurations, opening rich possibilities for architectural design and construction.
“Assisted by FEM software, our project develops strategies for reviving stereotomic masonry assembly with both cut solid and molded, hollow laminar plastics. Through our design we reimagine a once vital field of knowledge to investigate contemporary formal and aesthetic questions related to the relationships between the subdivision of volumes, constituent materials, surface depth and finishing, and construction methods.
“Our proposal argues for the continuing relevance of stereotomy, a rich field of architectural technique that we hope can be reinvigorated by computation and our most intriguing material invention.”
Plasticity is the fourth competition offered by TEX-FAB and builds on an interest in connecting experimental design practices with industry partners. Regal Plastic is this year’s competition material sponsor and Kreysler & Associates is providing technical and fabrication support on composite systems.
As winner, Justin Diles will be a commissioned by TEX-FAB to build a full-scale version of his project through support of our fabrication and material partnerships. Once completed, the project will travel to Houston in the Spring of 2015, to be exhibited at the TEX-FAB 2015 conference hosted by the University of Houston.
Plastic Stereotomy was selected over three other finalists: Puff’D was regarded for “its potential connections to other disciplines and technologies,” and found “the concept clear with interesting implications at larger scales,” while jurors appreciated the fabrication novelty offered by Monolith Translucent Lattice and “the ability to create a mold for a very complex form which would be extremely complicated using more traditional methods.” The jury commended Viscoplasty for its “structural ambition” and “clear, approachable concept.”
2014 First Round Jury:
- Benjamin Ball
- Alvin Huang
- Virginia San Fratello
- Kenneth Tracy
- Christine Yogiaman
- Joshua Zabel
2014 Second Round Jury:
- Craig Dykers
- Greg Lynn
- Bill Kreysler
- Roland Snooks
More about the shortlisted entries and TEX-FAB competitions, here.
