Design to fabrication method of thin shell structures based on a friction-fit connection system

Abstract The use of production systems based on CNC manufactured integral joinery has been increasing in many design fields including architecture, construction and industrial design. In many cases, such production systems are based on connectors that utilize interlocking mechanisms between components for assembly, sustained only by friction. Assembly systems based on friction-fit connections are low-cost, easy to manufacture and can be flat packed, shipped for construction and assembled with no special tools, fasteners or adhesives. In this paper, we propose a design to fabrication method based on a 2D tool path CNC production system with the friction-fit connection assembly logic that can be easily manufactured and assembled. The presented method provides extended groundwork for architectural design exploration based on tessellation procedures. It can be used for the design of discrete thin shells and applied to different scenarios in architecture. The method combines construction and manufacturing constraints, along with architectural and aesthetic requirements, in order to achieve a visually balanced pattern of panels and connectors. Due to this, parametric design of construction details with multi-criteria design optimization was used. The design to fabrication method proposed was tested on two models with different form generation approaches, size and scale illustrating that the method can successfully fulfil all necessary constraints.