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Tessellation everywhere
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In nature, Tessellated Material Systems (TMS) appear convergently across species and at all length scales. Their evolutionary success is based on the ability to unify mechanically opposing properties in one functional system. While the application of tessellations in Design and Architecture was and is focusing on the geometrical and structural benefits, this practice-based PhD project explores a different Design approach shifting the focus from structure to material. The aim of this research is to develop methods for designing hierarchical materials that lead to multi-functionality allowing for context sensitivity.


supervised by
Prof. Carola Zwick and
Prof. Jörg Petruschat -
weißensee school of art and design 



Felix Rasehorn
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Tessellation Archive
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Through the approach of tentative prototyping the vision of an interactive web-based archive, accessible for interdisciplinary researchers was manifested. Experienceable prototypes became container for ideas and arguments in discussion. Fostered by drawings, interactive prototypes (click dummies) and visualizations, the group could collaboratively decide, agree and improve architecture and usability of the archive.



Collaboration with: Dr. Mason Dean,
Jana Ciecierska-Holms, Binru Yang, Nikolai Rosenthal (all MPI for colloids and interfaces) and
Prof. Dr. John Nyakatura, Mai-Lee Van Le, Lennart Eige (all HU Morphology Department) - Webdevelopment by Tavy Hornbrook and Trixx Code




Taxonomy 

The group has collected over 120 specimens of natural TMS, developing a taxonomy, that describes morphological similarities and differences. Each category of this taxonomy offers the ability to clearly distinguish one group of specimens from the rest. The compiled data-set can be seen and appreciated as a research outcome, while from the perspective of a designer it can also be perceived as a material. That change of perspective, transforms the process of sharpening and defining the taxonomy into a moment of tentative prototyping.





Prototypes

Through methodologically treating the data-set as a material the development of categories equals the construction of analogue filters. If the data-set is treated as material and the category understood as the filter, the equation is missing a user. So, who is this material and its shape made for? Answering this question leads to the creation of a persona, this is analogue to the process of writing a paper having a specific peer group in mind. In this project the persona was a fictional group of architects, designers and other creatives, interested in finding inspiration in natures structural systems. Creating this persona implied that the material, the data-set, needs to be made accessible in a way that enables the persona to draw inspiration and information from it.








Interactive online archive


The TMS Group aims to write a paper that introduces Tessellated Biological Systems as a novel research term to describe and classify formation, function, and kinematic properties of biological surface designs. As we gathered a huge cross-species collection of such systems, we currently organize our findings in a google doc list. Naturally for me, as an Interaction Designer, the need to structure the list in an interactive way to allow for wider accessibility arises.To make the knowledge we gathered in the list accessible for a wider variety of researchers I imagined an interactive archive. This twist in the vision for our shared research outcome, helped me to classify and categorize our original list. From then on I observed our list as a functional tool, that needs a well-curated and intuitively designed filter structure. The list should be quickly accessed through five main categories and four to six filter hashtags. The architecture of the list makes it thus possible for non-biology researchers to search for structures researchers or practitioners are familiar with from their field. As an interactive online archive, the list emerges into a functional research tool that mediates between disciplines. This twist also allowed me to work the list like an iterative prototyping process for a tool appropriate for cross-disciplinary exchange.








View webpage as one example for a well integrated filter function that helped us to build upon