Urban Arborist: Bush Shed for DF_LAB

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University of Melbourne, Master of Architecture,19 November 2023.

_ Special thanks to my tutor, Michael Park

_Class: Thomas Layton Kent, Lachlan Mackay, Ruitong Wang, George Fielding, Arnav Goyal, Gerald Low, Chukang Liang, Lukas Orsanic, Oupu Wang

The Bush Shed is a temporary structure made from locally harvested Spotted Gum timber. It features a live-edge timber wall and a roof made from irregular tree forks produced using CNC fabrication. The wood was sourced from a single tree, and the entire design and fabrication process took place at the MSD Makerspaces to minimize its environmental impact.

Over the course of a year, the Bush Shed allows the green timber components to naturally season. Afterward, the wood will be repurposed for other uses. During its lifetime, the structure serves as a retreat for Makerspaces staff.

This project derives non-standard timber components from wood’s inherent form to formulate a distinctive timber structure. This approach fully leverages digital fabrication technologies including 3D scanning, evolutionary optimisation, and CNC fabrication. Through this approach, the unique characteristics of local timber can be celebrated without wasteful industrial processing, while simultaneously inciting novel architectural aesthetics.

Innovative CNC manufacturing techniques converge with advanced design methodologies in the creation of a seamless roof structure formed by interconnecting four Messmate branches through precision splicing joints. The design evolution, meticulously refined through iterative processes using Grasshopper scripting and the optimization tool Galapagos, ensures both aesthetic allure and structural resilience. Celebrating the natural beauty and strength of non-standard Messmate timber, this networked creation epitomises a harmonious blend of technology and non-standard materials. The result is a testament to the seamless fusion of artistry and engineering, yielding a striking and robust roof structure that stands as a testament to the possibilities of modern manufacturing.