Structural Investigation

I began my design of the SSEF competition by selecting a typology, and site. I have chosen to design a rock climbing wall on Canada's old Malting Silos (adjacent to our first year Sailing School Site - Dan Leckie Way & Queens Quay West). The site is not visited frequently and I think that this would be a good opportunity to get more people to go there. This climbing wall will feature a cantilevered viewing platform, that will offer views of the city and the Toronto

Island Airport.

Anticipated view of the city from the cantilever...

My design incorporates 5 different connections that I have to take into account, that is shown in the schematic section of my design below.

I have been investigating how animals and insects attach to elements in nature. I began by looking at how roots attach to the ground and how ivy grows on vertical surfaces. The european ivy sprout roots all along the underside of its stems. These roots are very thin and can cling to any tiny corrugated or wrinkled surface.

• There are different phases involved with the attachment: there is first initial physicalcontact, then the root closes with the substrate, the two then chemically adhere, and lastly the root hairs and the substrate close. The root hairs dry and scrunch into a spiral shape that locks them into place.
  

Cantilevered Structures in nature

I then began to look at different elements in nature that span long distances. I came across the structure of the staghorn coral where the struts join in a common lattice. There is no motion at the joints. And the branches diverge without rejoining. This is also common in the structure of a tree.

Below you can see the common lattice of the staghorn coral.

http://www.wingswildlife.com/video_clips/JO01_008

I have also looked at the skeleton arrangement of starfish. The starfish like echinoderm marian animals have a pentaradial symmetry, where five elements radiate from a centre point. I was hoping that this structural configuration can be applied to my design, but I have not figured out how it can.

I am still doing research to investigate different natural processes and how they can be applied to what I would like to accomplish.