This shading structure is a covered walkway in a public park. The design goal was to create a structurally sound and unique awning with an interesting geometric pattern.
Two sine curves with dynamic input parameters (e.g., base height, amplitude) were modelled — one curve is offset by a dynamic parameter to create width between the two curves, which represents the covering above the park. The resulting surface was lofted, and three-point rectangular (triangular) panels were selected to showcase a geometric pattern. The number of panels can be dynamically adjusted based on the ‘u’ and ‘v’ inputs to the panel creation function.
Since this structure only requires columns (with confirmation from TA), columns were added as two-point tubes between points on each sine curve and their respective “grounds”, represented by the coordinates of the curve points with 0 height. The radii of the columns supporting each sine wave are user inputs, which enables the structural supports to be dynamically updated.
User-Input Parameters:
- Sine waves’ shape (e.g., origin point, base height, angle, amplitude)
- Structure width (based on the offset distance of one sine wave)
- Number of panels
- Radius of columns