One of the main elements of our proposal for PontèPigneto competition was a solar-paneled canopy inspired by the shape of the Maritime Pine tree, a very common landmark here in Rome (for detailed info and images about our proposal please read this post).

Hence we started looking at the beautiful structures created by recursive branching systems (such as our pine tree), while in parallel we analyzed different methods to achieve optimal packings of solids in space, like in foams and crystals.
In order to manage the complexity of our proposal and explore different possibilities for our entry, we decided to take advantage of the great capabilities of the 3d parametric modeler “Grasshopper” for Rhinoceros3d (http://www.grasshopper3d.com/).

So we created in Grasshopper a node-based parametric model of a modular branching system, through which we were able to explore and evaluate different configurations and aggregations, and verify in parallel very quickly the modularity and the assemblability of our components.

We focused our attention on a shape which optimally packs in two dimensions, the hexagon, and, through exploring its internal geometry and the relations between its parts, we derived all the other rules which would have controlled the geometrical behavior and the shape of all the other elements of the branching system in three dimensions.

We studied different ways the single modules could aggregate and proliferate, paying attention to eventual structural and geometrical issues at joints, where several branches met. Our aim was to obtain a continuous tridimensional structure, in which all the pinetrees work as a whole interconnected canopy and could resist to winds and accidental forces in an optimal way.

All this was possible because every component was designed to be completely parametric, so we were able to change and verify instantaneously every strategy and every parameter variation, i.e. the initial shape of the “cell”, the angle in space of the branches, the lenghts and the diameters of all the structural elements, their aggregation (in order to optimize both geometrical and structural issues) and the shape and the inclination of the solar panels which represented the “leaves” of our trees.

In particular, regarding the solar panels, the parametric model gave us the capability to optimize the panels’ shape and their areas, and at the same time avoid unexpected shadows in order to maximize the energy production.

(for more info and images about our proposal you can read this post)