TIGER HEAD HORNET
The Asian Tiger Head Hornet Nest study project aimed to pave the path for future technical investigations and visionary collaborations based on the facts and data revealed from the primary observations and subsequent CT scan study with modelling analysis.
By Carol Leung Dicky Chu Hauen Tsai Marco Leung Chung Chi Ho John Zhuang Jollie Cheung Wing Chun Cheng Shervan Chan
Biology
The collected nest was abandoned by a colony of hornets - Vespa velutina, a species that originates from Southeast Asia, particularly the tropical regions. These hornets have distinctive yellow tarsi (legs). The thorax is a velvety brown or black with a brown abdomen. Typically, queens are 30 mm (1.2 in) in length, and males about 24 mm (0.95 in). Workers measure about 20 mm (0.80 in) in length.[1]. V. velutina opportunistically hunts a very wide range of insects, including flies, dragonflies, and Orthoptera, typically capturing them by pursuit.[1]
V. velutina builds nests that may house colonies of several thousand individuals.[2] Females in the colony are armed with formidable stingers with which they defend their nests and kill their prey. The nesting season is long, and a colony commonly begins by building a nest in a low shrub, then abandoning it after some months and rapidly building a new one high in a tree, possibly as an antiparasitic measure. The next generation of young queens disperses in the late autumn to hibernate over winter.[3]
Reference list:
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Lee, John X. Q. "Vespa velutina". vespa-bicolor.net. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018.
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Samuel, Henry (19 August 2009). "Tourists warned as Asian hornets terrorise French". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 5 May 2016.
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Vespa velutina In: Invasive Species Compendium 2014. Wallingford, UK: CAB International. www.cabi.org/isc
Encounter
In 2018 Aug, a fortnight before Mangkhurt - a super typhoon devastated Hong Kong City and disabled the claimed to be 24hrs non-stop city for a week…
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Before the fortnight of the super typhoon, the Vespa Hornet nest was found in our team leader’s house. It was found on the fence wall on the SW side of the garden, at a low level around 1.7m high from the ground with an oval water droplet/egg shape sized approximately 40 (Dia.) X 45(H) cm. The outer skin was having shell-like capsules with strong integrity to withstand the 205Km/hr wind speed super typhoon Mangkhurt. There was only one entrance located at the lower side opening downwards to avoid rainwater flooding into the nest.
Harvesting and CT Scanning
Daily visual inspection marked the population of the hornet colony maybe around a few hundreds. Since their flight path and daily activities did not pose any harm to neighbours, no action was taken to remove it to keep both the colony and the nest alive. Vespa Hornets finally abandoned the nest after Winter and with the help of a local beekeeper, the nest was removed carefully from the garden fence wall in Feb 2019.
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In April 2019, our team brought the hornet nest to two engineering laboratories to carry out comprehensive CT Scan. We aimed to reveal the inner structure and intricate construction compositions. Scanned data output in .stl file format was produced, thousands of sectional scans were captured and composing a media video. The .stl file can be transferred to architectural modelling and 3D printing software in use for visualising the solid form or further analysis.
The CT scanned images and animation demonstrated astonishing architectural beauty, functionality and sophisticated formal and spatial arrangement.
Research Topics
#nestmaking #biomorphicstructure #microclimatecontrol #skinbubblematrix #parametricadaptation #mudearthfibremateriality #rammedearth3Dprinting #drone3Dprinting #responsivefacade
#nest making
(Lezappen, 2017)
mud timber fibre and mouthpart secretion; similar to traditional rammed earth material; building operation similar to 3D printing; simultaneous outer skin and inner hexagon comb slabs construction; hexagonal comb chambers facing downward to avoid fluid or moisture trapping
#biomorphic structure
(leManoosh, 2020)
suspended structure; columns with hexagonal sections; tree-like column link between slabs; hexagon comb slab spin and twisted to response to the oval shape water droplet form; nest’s outer shell/skin composed of multiple thin layers of membrane-forming insulation air pockets; bubble-like air pockets organised in shifting layers with a basic grid which transform and adapts to the contextual or formal changes; oval water droplet/egg shape responded to gravity and structural to the building site (wall/tree branches) ;
#micro climate control
(Rincón et al., 2019)
nest well insulated by outer skin ; constant interior temperature and humidity; air channels between slabs and skin facilitate air movement inside the structure; wings of working hornet help to enhance air circulation; breathable paper ( rammed earth like ) skin served both purposes of resisting Summer heavy rainfall or Winter dry wind draft but allows excess moisture to filter out from inner chambers ;
#skin bubble matrix
(Author's own, 2020)
multiple layers of thin skin materials forming bubble-like air pockets shift shafted to fit the surface geometry and completing the final oval water droplet/egg shape form; matric able to adapt/transform to varies contextual conditions such as anchor to wall/ceiling/tree branches etc.;
#parametric adaptation
(Author's own, 2020)
shifting of layers of skin air pockets; twisting and size-changing of slabs; embedding and anchoring to specific site features
#mud earth fiber
materiality
(Sojkowski, 2015)
high thermal resistance; local earth and timber fibre; zero carbon emission footprint; sustainable and recyclable natural material; ephemeral but resistance material; leave-no-trance architecture
#rammed earth 3D printing
(Peters, 2012)
mixture of mud/timber fibre/natural resin; robotic 3D printing; scripted printing; organic form and pattern; low energy consumption; in-situ material mixing
#drone 3D printing
(Kohler, 2014)
personalised building methodology; multiple drones printing; drones simulating hornets; defying traditional site construction management and constraints
#responsive facade/skin
(Beesley, 2017)
scripting personalised living pattern ( privacy, view, use of space, storage…); individualised façade per unit; façade can generate specific geographic/micro-climatic /site-specific response
Illustration list:
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Beesley, P. (2017). Artist Philip Beesley Merges Chemistry, Artificial Intelligence, and Interactivity to Create “Living” Architecture. [online] Colossal. Available at: https://www.thisiscolossal.com/2017/12/philip-beesley-living-architecture/ [Accessed 21 Aug. 2020].
Kohler, G. and ETH Zurich (2014). Gramazio Kohler Research. [online] gramaziokohler.arch.ethz.ch. Available at: https://gramaziokohler.arch.ethz.ch/web/e/forschung/221.html [Accessed 21 Aug. 2020].
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leManoosh (2020). Parametric Archives - leManoosh | Bio art, Generative design, Parametric design. [online] Pinterest. Available at: https://www.pinterest.com/pin/405675878917675647/ [Accessed 21 Aug. 2020].
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Lezappen (2017). Sped up Timelapse Footage of Giant Hornet Queen Building Nest. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3sj6edu3Go&t=23s [Accessed 21 Aug. 2020].
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Peters, P. (2012). Building Bytes 3D printed bricks by Brian Peters at Dutch Design Week. [online] Dezeen. Available at: https://www.dezeen.com/2012/10/31/building-bytes-3d-printed-bricks-brian-peters/ [Accessed 21 Aug. 2020].
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Rincón, L., Carrobé, A., Martorell, I. and Medrano, M. (2019). Improving thermal comfort of earthen dwellings in sub-Saharan Africa with passive design. Journal of Building Engineering, [online] 24, p.100732. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2352710218310234?fbclid=IwAR3j5ROZbc3KC0KhtGzn2fS14SsAVIK9kbZIbmJFPPqH9NgRxXiLLBEE4VU [Accessed 21 Aug. 2020].
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Sojkowski, J. (2015). Why I Created a Database to Document African Vernacular Architecture. [online] ArchDaily. Available at: https://www.archdaily.com/638933/why-i-created-a-database-to-document-african-vernacular-architecture.
Further research/investigations and potential Applications
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Mud/Earth/Fibre 3D printing façade; advance from vernacular rammed earth construction and instigated with new drone 3D printing technologies
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Localised geographic, microclimatic and site-specific context can be scripted to inform in-situ and personalised façade or enclosure design
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Sustainable and energy-saving architecture building and living
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Personalised data of ways of seeing(being seen)/ways of living/ways of relating to external environment/neighbourhood
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Engineering advancement in complex form and structure in designing mega-structure ; hexagonal twisting slabs and structures
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Ephemeral second spatial skin for an individual to temporarily engaging a pre-determined living/working space
