Stage 1 Part 1: The idea was to create a simply shaped arced wall that would display a cohesive image when viewed as a whole. To make this happen, I used Dynamo to generate an arc curve with sliders to control the radius, start angle, end angle, and wall height. The wall was then divided into rectangular panels based on the arc length and height. Since I’ve always loved Legos, I chose to display the Lego logo across the wall. I had to carefully adjust the wall size to get enough panels—if the wall was too small, there weren’t enough panels to display all the letters, and parts of the logo would disappear.
Stage 1 Part 2: To push the design further, I transformed the arc wall into an S-shape using a sine wave. Sliders allowed me to control wall length, height, number of waves, and wave amplitude. This version was panelized using 4”x8” panels, and I switched out the Lego logo for a piece of art by Keith Haring. The abstract nature of his work fit the S-curve well and added a playful vibe. To reinforce this idea of playfulness, the height of each panel was mapped to its color—so panels in orange and blue (indicating more height) stood out from the flatter black ones.
Stage 2: This stage introduced more complexity. I created a two-level building using resizable rectangles. The lower level had sliders to control its depth and length, and another input to adjust its extrusion height. The upper level had its own wall height and could be offset from the lower level. Each wall surface was then panelized with rectangular panels that had rotating shades. The width of the panels was adjustable, and their height matched each floor’s height. Sun data was loaded into the project, and each panel’s color changed based on its orientation to the sun—yellow panels face the sun most directly, while purple ones are more shaded. I also changed the panel geometry accordingly: the shade’s rotation update based on solar exposure. The shade height always matches the panel height and the shade width can be adjusted manually. These changes can be seen in the structure subjected to the 5:45AM sun and 12:45 PM sunlight.
Stage 3: For the final stage, I modeled a tall tower with a polygonal footprint that could be adjusted at three different heights—base, mid, and top—each with its own radius slider. You can also change the tower’s height and number of polygon sides. After lofting these curves, I panelized the tower using rectangular panels with resizable openings, each roughly 8 feet tall. I used a slider to set the number of panels along the horizontal direction. Like before, I evaluated the directness of each panel to the sun. Based on this, the panels adjusted their opening width—when the panel faces the sun directly (at 7:15 AM), the frame width is small, closing the opening to block sunlight. Later in the day (at 5:30 PM), the the frame opens wider since there’s less sunlight hitting the surface.
