Architects have obsessed on exploring new forms through the innovation of new fabrication techniques for some time now. Thanks to affordable 3D printers, almost every designer now has the technical capability of experimenting on the possible shapes that these new gadgets can bring into the architectural world. Not only it expanded the limits of the production, making the entire progress much faster with –literally– more outputs, but also gave a solid face to the long-disputed digital design methods, making them “stand on their feet” so that they can testify against the argument of digitization of design may ultimately and solely lead to paper architecture.

Serra Gate is one of the experimental projects that GAD focused on finding ways to incorporate these advances in real life projects. With our small MakerBotTM in our office we explored the structural possibilities of Stephen Wolframs’s software Mathematica. The only functional criterion was making an urban furniture with a gate form, that would lead and point people towards a point of attraction. In addition to the form of the structure, the vertical tiles put between the horizontal plates were positioned to a focal point to exaggerate the redirecting effect.

The placement and dimensions of the vertical tiles were also optimised after a parametric study, so that they can support the entire system without any additional column-like element. The elements are only as thick as they need to be.