This paper introduces a series of design and fabrication tests directed towards the use of bendable 3D printing materials in order to simplify a foam bubble-based geometry as a frame structure for modular assembly. The aspiration to reference a spittlebug's bubble cocoon in nature for a light installation in the urban context was integrated into a computational workflow conditioning lightweight , material-, and cost savings along with assembly-simplicity. Firstly, before elaborating on the project motivation and background in foam structures and applications of 3D-printed thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) material, this paper describes the physical nature of bubble foams in its relevant aspects. Subsequently this is implemented into the parametric design process for an optimized foam structure with Grasshopper clarifying the need for flexible materials to enhance modular feasibility. Following, the additive manufacturing iterations of the digitally designed node components with TPU are presented and evaluated. Finally, after the test assembly of both components is depicted, this paper assesses the divergence between natural foams and the case study structure with respect to self-organizing behavior.

Digital architecture developed in the 1960s and, supported by CAAD the 1990s, has created the path towards an architecture produced by computer and architect in a mutual relationship. The evolution of architecture since the 1970s led to the beginning of the first digital turn in the 1990s, and subsequently to the emergence of new typologies of buildings, architects and design tools; atom-based, bit-based (virtual) [1], and cyber-physical as a combination of both. The paper provides an insight into historical foundations of CAAD insofar as it engages with complexity in mechanics, geometry, and space between the 1600s and 1950s. I will address a selection of principles discovered, and mechanisms invented before computer-aided-architectural-design; those include the typewriter, the Cartesian grid and a pre-cyber-physical system by Hermann von Helmholtz. The paper concludes with a summary and an outlook to the future of CAAD challenged by the variety of correlations of disparate data sets.

This paper documents the design and fabrication process of modular responsive lighting installation. The design and research led to a modular and transformable urban lighting concept, combining unique material behaviour and cyber-physical system. The main goal was to investigate how material characteristics, composition and performance could be programmed in order to generate a range of modular components. Modular tiles and joints combination designed of sustainable materials-bioplastics and cork sheets-were created and used together with number of sensors and micro-controllers. Furthermore, the installation concept links technical and psychological aspects that potentially could be used for the benefits of city dwellers. Paper consists of two parts. First part is the introduction of a broader urban night lighting design context to which the project belongs. This includes covering existing social issues related to urban darkness, as well as the need to increase biodiversity within built environment, through introducing new materials. The second part of the paper describes the design and fabrication process, that employs the conclusions discovered in the first part through set of material experimentations, design project and the reflections on the results.