{tag:studenci}, a student at the Faculty of Architecture and Design at the Academy of Fine Arts in Gdansk, decided to bring the Orlovo Pier to life, and literally. Her project called The Quaver, inspired by the work of Dutch artist and scientist Theo Jansen, is a kinetic installation, an experiment that allows you to go inside a "living machine."
"The Quaver - instability, variability, uncertainty" is an undergraduate thesis made under the direction of Dr. Tomasz Zmyślony.
An animation depicting The Quaver project
© Adela Moss
I'm studying Interior Design, which I understand as, first and foremost, creating space, mood, experiences. The Quaver is a proposal to give new meaning to architecture and wooden construction by introducing dynamics, change, movement, as a response to the "Timber Pavilion" competition, organized by Buildner. The Quaver is intended to be a space for the experience of stepping inside a living machine. The concept was inspired by the work and words of artist Theo Jansen - The line between art and engineering exists only in our minds, my interest in construction and mechanics, and the very nature of the place, communing with the element of the ever-changing sea.
To watch the movement of the installation, you can sit on wooden logs
© Adela Moss
a new look at the pier
Adela Moss's project consists of three parts and includes the Orlowo pier, which is the structural base and main use zone, the "skeleton" of the machine surrounding the pier, consisting of wooden, movable modules, and the bottom zone - modular floating platforms from WPRC, setting the machine in motion.
I chose theOrlowo pier for its accessibility, representativeness, and connection to the sea. The design road led through many failed attempts. Theo Jansen and kinetic art became the turning point of the project, this discovery allowed me to formulate an idea that responded to the competition's assumptions. Movement was to be an element that complements the design, making it complete. Asceticism and functionality, close to Jansen, turned out to be the most apt formal assumptions of the project. Modularity and multiplication of single, simple mechanical parts constituting the skeleton of the machine allowed the introduction of movement, gave the structure lightness.
The Quaver installation, projection and cross-section
© Adela Moss
"living machine"
The skeleton of thestructure is formed by moving units, consisting of modular floating platforms and wooden moving modules. A single unit was designed by the author so that it would be safe to stay inside the structure during the storm-free period, even at the extreme predicted wave amplitudes.
The upper part of the pier during day and night
© Adela Moss
Themovement of the structure is caused by the lifting of one or both floating platforms, individual units by waves. Two types of movement are possible: transverse and longitudinal. Transverse movement is caused by waves passing across the pier, lifting the platforms one by one, causing a transverse wave stern movement of the entire body. Longitudinal motion is caused by waves passing along the pier, lifting both platforms simultaneously, causing longitudinal wave motion of the entire structure.
The backbone of the structure is formed by movable units
consisting of modular floating platforms and wooden movable modules
© Adela Moss
The movement is made possible by the design of the individual moving units. Self-lubricating wooden bearings ensure that the movement of the vertical elements of the wooden moving unit is transmitted to the horizontal element. The movement of the vertical elements is stabilized by wooden trusses attached to the pier structure. Modular floating platforms made of WPRC (Wood Plastic Recycled Composite) are filled with air - they provide adequate buoyancy to the wooden elements and transmit the up and down movement of the waves to them. The platforms are connected to each other by axes, which ensures independent movement of the modules relative to each other. The smaller and larger modules form a moving floating carpet, surrounding the pier," explains the designer.
The facility is divided into two usable zones and an exhibition
© Adela Moss
two usable zones
The Quaver is divided into two us able zones - the lower zone and the upper zone. The upper zone, open 24 hours a day, is located on the walking level of the pier, and here you can walk through the interior of the "living, working machine." To get a closer look at the structure, its movement, you can sit on one of the raw wooden logs - which are part of the wood exhibition taking place at the facility.
The lower part consists of floating platforms
© Adela Moss
The lower zone, accessible only during the day, is located at sea level and consists of the previously mentioned modular floating platforms. This zone has the character of a tourist attraction for people spending time on the beach. It is divided into a moving part and a stationary part, so that the experience of dynamic construction is possible without the risk of getting wet in the sea.
The upper part of the pier, here you can walk through the interior of the "living, working machine"
© Adela Moss
recycling and minimal carbon world
The materials the author used in the project were the aforementioned WPRC, natural, locally sourced spruce poles and structural steel and their modification. They were selected so that the project's carbon footprint, calculated using Byggeriets material pyramid, would be as small as possible.
The calculations showed that the project's carbon footprint is minimal, with the choice of WPRC instead of plastic reducing the carbon footprint produced by three times. Each of the materials is recyclable after use, adds Adela Moss.
