Fractal Building Material

[Violet Mcdow]

Takingadvantage of some of the size effects that many materials display at the nanoscale, these nanotrusses can have unusual, desirable qualities. For example, intrinsically brittle materials, like ceramics, including the alumina shown, can be made deformable so that they can be crushed and still rebound to their original state without global failure.

"Having full control over the architecture gives us the ability to tune material properties to what was previously unattainable with conventional monolithic materials or with foams," says Greer. "For example, we can decouple strength from density and make materials that are both strong (and tough) as well as extremely lightweight. These structures can contain nearly 99 percent air yet can also be as strong as steel. Designing them into fractals allows us to incorporate hierarchical design into material architecture, which promises to have further beneficial properties."

The members of Greer's group who helped develop the new fabrication process and created these nanotrusses are graduate students Lucas Meza and Lauren Montemayor and Nigel Clarke, an undergraduate intern from the University of Waterloo.

As always, I started my build with the power supply, which included plugging in the necessary cables, mounting the PSU in place, and routing said cables to the correct location. Our power supply is the Thermaltake Toughpower GF1 Snow 750W, which measures 16cm in length. It also matches the whole black and white theme with its cables, which is a side bonus. I will say the cable hole right near the power supply is definitely handy, but I would have liked a slightly larger opening, especially for some of the bulkier cables. As we mentioned, Fractal Design recommends a maximum 175mm length power supply, but there is space for up to a 250mm one. I also routed the front I/O cables into the right spot at this point.

With the power supply in place, I mounted the motherboard, which is an Asus Prime X470-Pro with an AMD Ryzen 7 3700X installed and a set of Patriot Viper RGB DDR4-3600 2x16GB sticks onboard. On top of the processor, I installed the DeepCool AK620, which has a height of 160mm. Fractal Design says the Focus 2 can hold coolers up to 170mm in height, which should hold most coolers. I then installed the EVGA GeForce RTX 3070 FTW3 ULTRA GAMING, which slotted with more than enough space. Even with a front fan mounted, you can install a GPU up to 405mm in length. Afterwards, I plugged everything in place, including the power supply cables.

From the backside, you can see we have a bit more of a cabling mess, especially as there are no included Velcro straps. I did find the cabling a bit tricky, especially with its smaller routing hole to this back area and the tighter clearance for cables. As for my own storage, I had two drives, the Patriot P200 512GB and OCZ ARC 100 240GB, installed behind the motherboard. Due to my power supply cables being a bit thicker, the drives kept popping out of place as they were installed on the plastic pegs. While this should not be an issue after you install it, it also does not inspire confidence in keeping the drive fully secured in place. Even so, building in the Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB White TG was a very positive experience and I was quite pleased with the creature comforts and compatibility in place, despite the wallet-friendly nature of this case.

With everything plugged in and the side panels installed in place, I hit the power button and system spun to life. The first thing I noticed was the really neat effect the ARGB fans made behind the front mesh. While the screen-door effect is not preferred for VR gaming, the metal mesh provides a nice glow, especially when viewed from an off-angle. In terms of noise output, our standard APH Networks sound scale ranges from 0 to 10, where 0 is silence and 10 is loud. I would rate the Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB White TG, at stock configuration, at a 2.5/10 under full load. The 140mm fans are quiet, even when spinning at full speed, and its larger size means it can spin at lower speeds for the same airflow, translating into a lower noise output.

The Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB White TG was made as a budget option from a premium brand, and I think it is a very successful successor. This starts with good build materials in standard steel and tempered glass. Updates to the front and overall appearances are modernized, including the removal of the 5.25" drive cage, updated addressable RGB LED fans, and its built-in lighting controller. It still keeps the important elements like sufficient ventilation at the front and top. The tempered glass is also a nice update for a viewing window while it also employs a clever way to make a power supply concealer. Inside, we have more than enough compatibility for a tall CPU cooler, long graphics cards, and an extended power supply. The number of drives it can hold is adequate for a chassis at this price point too. Building in the Focus 2 was an enjoyable process, even if we did not have things like a power supply shroud or included Velcro straps. If there were some suggestions I would make, it would include making cable management easier with a larger routing hole near the power supply, more room for cabling behind the motherboard, and inclusion of cable ties or straps. I also would have liked to see an included USB Type-C front I/O port in stock configuration and PWM-controlled fans on the front. Finally, it would have been nice to have a more substantial drive mounting option for 2.5" SSDs. Even so, the Focus 2 RGB White TG provides a very polished fit and finish despite its budget nature. Speaking of which, at the time of launch, the Fractal Design Focus 2 RGB White TG is available for $80, while non-RGB options are $70. This directly replaces the original lineup with the Focus 2 at the same price, while offering a solid build, great airflow, sufficient clearance, and an overall positive experience.

Biophilia in Context looks at the evolution of biophilic design in architecture and planning and presents a framework for relating the human biological science and nature. Design Considerations explores a sampling of factors (e.g., scale, climate, user demographics) that may influence biophilic design decisions to bring greater clarity to why some interventions are replicable and why others may not be. The Patterns lays out a series of tools for understanding design opportunities, including the roots of the science behind each pattern, then metrics, strategies and considerations for how to use each pattern. This paper moves from research on biophilic responses to design application as a way to effectively enhance health and well-being for individuals and society.

This paper was supported by Terrapin Bright Green, LLC. We thank Alice Hartley for editorial assistance, Allison Bernett and Cas Smith for production assistance, the Review Committee and Contributors for their technical guidance and expertise, Georgy Olivieri for her relentless energy and dedication to spreading the word, Stefano Serafini and the International Society of Biourbanism for providing guidance and encouragement.

New research supports measureable, positive impacts of biophilic design on health, strengthening the empirical evidence for the human-nature connection and raising its priority level within both design research and design practice; however, little guidance for implementation exists. This paper is intended to help close the gap between current research and implementation. The intended audiences of this publication are interior designers, architects, landscape architects, urban designers, planners, health professionals, employers and developers, as well as anyone wanting to better understand the patterns of biophilia.

This paper puts biophilic design in context with architectural history, health sciences and current architectural practices, and briefly touches on key implementation considerations, then presents biophilic design patterns. The patterns have been developed through extensive interdisciplinary research and are supported by empirical evidence and the work of Christopher Alexander, Judith Heerwagen, Rachel and Stephen Kaplan, Stephen Kellert, Roger Ulrich, and many others. Over 500 publications on biophilic responses have been mined to uncover patterns useful to designers of the built environment. These 14 patterns have a wide range of applications for both interior and exterior environments, and are meant to be flexible and adaptive, allowing for project-appropriate implementation:

Finally, this paper discusses these patterns in a general sense for the purpose of addressing universal issues of human health and well-being (e.g., stress, visual acuity, hormone balance, creativity) within the built environment, rather than program-based or sector-specific space types (e.g., health care facility waiting rooms, elementary school classrooms, or storefront pedestrian promenades). As such, the focus is on patterns in nature known, suggested or theorized to mitigate common stressors or enhance desirable qualities that can be applied across various sectors and scales.

We hope this paper presents the foundation necessary for thinking more critically about the human connection with nature and how biophilic design patterns can be used as a tool for improving health and well-being in the built environment.

Nature themes can be found in the earliest human structures: Stylized animals characteristic of the Neolithic Gbekli Tepe; the Egyptian sphinx, or the acanthus leaves adorning Greek temples and their Vitruvian origin story; from the primitive hut to the delicate, leafy filigrees of Rococo design. Representations of animals and plants have long been used for decorative and symbolic ornamentation. Beyond representation, cultures around the world have long brought nature into homes and public spaces. Classic examples include the garden courtyards of the Alhambra in Spain, porcelain fish bowls in ancient China, the aviary in Teotihuacan (ancient Mexico City), bonsai in Japanese homes, papyrus ponds in the homes of Egyptian nobles, the cottage garden in medieval Germany, or the elusive hanging gardens of Babylon.

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