26 Curtis Street
Architectural Drawing Set

Drawing an existing building in Revit is a great way to reinvigorate your drafting skills. This home has been remodeled several times and it is full of custom details - the perfect case for exploring Revit off the beaten path.

Click here to view the 11"x17" drawing set

This project explores mobile VR in an architectural context.
With $15 Google Cardboard goggles, mobile VR is available right from your smartphone. This technology has incredible potential and the gentle learning curve makes it easy to integrate mobile VR into the design process and for client presentations.

To view this on Google Cardboard:

1. Download the IrisVR Scope app to your phone
2. Launch the app and click the + symbol
3. Enter the code: JNVGN7 and follow the in-app instructions

Designing a new deck off the back of our house was a unique opportunity to create a spacious extension of the dining room.
We wanted a flexible and informal space with plenty of seating and counter space for socializing and outdoor cooking.
In addition, the deck includes a garbage den, a tool shed, hose reel, outlets and gas line hookup for the BBQ.

Credenza
Furniture Design and Visualization

Solid oak wood credenza with finger joint frame and natural leather strap handles. Dimensions 50x18x18" (WxHxD), base is 9" tall.

Modeled in SketchUp, rendered with Corona.

I started making video tutorials late 2012 to support lectures and workshops. Today the channel more than 50 tutorials, 5,600 subscribers, and close to 2M views.

Techniques covered:

• Modeling and drafting in Rhino 3D
• Parametric families in Revit
• Parametric Design and Visual Scripting in Grasshopper
• Digital Fabrication (nesting and laser cutting)
• 3D Laser Scanning
• Topology Optimization
• Rendering

Visit my YouTube channel at http://youtube.com/rubenborup

This four-week workshop was using robotic hotwire cutting for creating polystyrene molds for concrete casting.

A topology optimized design is created in solidThinking Inspire. The model is then imported into Rhino and remodeled as NURBS geometry. I order to create the molds, the NURBS model is split into segments and translated into ruled surfaces, needed for hotwire cutting. This is achieved using custom Grasshopper scripts and some manual modeling in Rhino.
Video tutorials from the workshop are available here.

Once the mold geometry is created, it is converted to robot code using HAL for Grasshopper. The molds are cut using a hotwire mounted on an industrial scale ABB IRB 6620 robot.

The full size sculpture, measuring 3x21 meters (10'x70'), was cast and assembled by Hi-Con A/S. Read more

This site registration consists of 45 laser scans and has a total of 701M points. The point cloud was used by the students as a reference model for designing site-specific art installations with the purpose of activating the space.

After being introduced to the gear, the students were able to perform the majority of the laser scanning themselves using the Faro Focus 3D laser scanner. The scans were loaded and aligned in Faro Scene and finally filtered and rendered using Bentley Pointools.

Portions of the 16 GB point cloud were loaded into Rhino and used for precisely measuring and for modeling site specific features.

For more information about laser scanning see my laser scanning video playlist on YouTube.

This is the result of a three-week workshop for 36 second-year students at Aarhus School of Architecture.

The students were given a set of design criteria (span, height, supports). Next, the students would create a three-dimensional design space for topology optimization. By adjusting supports and loads, several iterations were made until we reached desirable results. After reviews, the designs were revised and modeled in Rhino using T-Splines, then sliced, numbered and laser cut in 4mm plywood. All models were assembled by hand.

Techniques covered:

• Topology optimization (solidThinking Inspire)
• Organic modeling (T-Splines)
• Digital fabrication (RhinoNest and laser cutting)

More info: Watch the video or read the publication

This four-week workshop introduced first-year students to masonry. By mixing traditional craft with visual scripting in Grasshopper, the students were able to explore and control parametric, rule-based systems containing hundreds of bricks in real-time.
After a series of design iterations, the students developed fabrication strategies and built their designs at full scale on site. To improve precision and help construction, individualized tools were made to control rotation and spacing of the bricks.

Techniques covered:

• Modeling in Rhino
• Parametric design and visual scripting (Grasshopper)
• Fabrication strategy (Quantization and color coding)
• Fabrication tools

More info: Read the publication

The focus of this workshop was to investigate light and spatial conditions in relation to a specific site through the use of parametric design. In addition, the parametric system facilitated material use; materials cost, and live fabrication drawings.

By combining mass fabrication with digital fabrication, it was possible to achieve highly individualized designs and build a full-scale design in only three days (+ design phase).

The final structure consists of 3,648 parts of which 1,026 are digitally fabricated using laser cutting.

As part of the workshop, a group of students would document the process. For more information, watch the video or read the publication

Revisiting my Master's thesis project from 2008; a multi-functional skyscraper. The project is located on Wilhelmina Pier in Rotterdam (The Netherlands) among buildings designed by Foster+Partners, Renzo Piano, and OMA. http://www.wilhelminapier.nl/en/architecture/

Based on the original concept, I cleaned up the geometry and applied new rendering techniques and weather conditions.

The objective was to design a full server rack with two custom rack units for the Irigo Engine.
The S1 storage unit contains 36 hard drives in a 4U form factor, so cooling is of extreme importance. Maximum airflow is ensured by a perforated front bezel and maintained by two bays of fans.
C1, the processing unit, holds 16 mini ITX motherboards with one i7 CPU each boasts a total of 128 processing cores. The same layout was used for both designs to ensure maximum airflow.

More info: Read the brochure

Project update: The design has undergone some changes, but the general concept is unchanged. More info about Cabo's Irigo Engine here

This Season's Greeting video was made as a fun spin-off from an elaborate demonstration video demonstrating the Vestas Tower Crane. The story was pitched, storyboarded, and approved in just two days and finalized in 10 days - just in time for the Holidays.

I was in charge of rigging, character animation, and rendering while my coworker Rune would do effects, editing and post production.

This video was made for the European Wind Energy Conference (EWEC) in Marseilles, 2009. For the release of their biggest wind turbine, Vestas asked Cadpeople to come up with a story that would highlight key features of their new flagship wind turbine.

I organized storyboarding and worked on scenography design as well as modeling and animation.

The project was created in three weeks.

My thesis project is situated on Wilhelminapier in Rotterdam, home of the Holland-America Line Terminal, for more than 100 years.

The pier is transforming into a mini-Manhattan and my project is named New Orleans after the warehouse initially situated on the site.
The project consists of two mixed-use towers connected by a multi-story public space where you have an unobstructed view of Rotterdam.

For information about the design process, watch this slideshow