Self-Assembly & Self-OrganizationFluid CrystallizationSelf-Assembly Lab & Arthur OlsonFluid Crystallization, exhibited as part of the 2013 Architectural League Prize Exhibition, is a project that investigates hierarchical and non-deterministic self-assembly with large numbers of parts in a fluid and turbulent environment. Three hundred and fifty hollow spheres were submerged in a 200-gallon glass water-filled tank. Armatures, modeled after carbon atoms, followed intramolecular covalent bonding geometries within atoms. Intermolecular structures formed as spheres interacted with one another in 1, 2, or 3-Dimensional patterns. The highly dynamic self-assembly characteristic of the system offers a glimpse at material phase-change between crystalline solid, liquid, and gaseous states. Turbulence in the water introduced stochastic energy into the system, increasing the entropy and allowing structures to self-assemble; thus, transitioning between gas, liquid, and solid phases. Polymorphism could be observed where the same structures could solidify in more than one crystalline form, demonstrating the versatile nature of carbon as a building block for life.Fluid CrystallizationBioMolecular Self-AssemblySkylar Tibbits, Arthur Olson & Autodesk inc.The BioMolecular Self-Assembly project, completed for the TED Global Conference in 2012, is a project done in collaboration with molecular biologist Arthur Olson at the Scripps Research Institute and Autodesk. This project demonstrates molecular self-assembly through tangible and physical models. The geometry and material components are based on various molecular structures including the tobacco plant virus, a ferritin protein assembly and catechol dioxygenase enzyme. Each beaker contains a single molecular structure colored either white, red or black, which could be shaken hard enough to break the structure apart, or consistently, yet randomly, to allow for the self-assembly of a complete and precise geometry.BioMolecular Self-AssemblyAutonomous Mass-AssemblySkylar Tibbits, Arthur Olson & Autodesk inc.This project investigates chiral self-assemblywith many parts in order to explore the aggregate behavior of simultaneousassemblyand self-selection. Roughly 240 pieces are agitated stochastically to self-assemble closed dodecahedral molecular structures based on the polio virus capsid. Patterns of attraction are designed within each part to specify chemical complementarity and chirality (right and left-handedness). Over time and with the right amount of energy, precise structures emerge complete and self-sorted. This continual process shows the various stages ofassemblyfrom independent parts to a mixture of assembled parts, then a bath of fully assembled structures and finally with additional energy input broken again intoautonomouspieces. This work points towards a future of both tangible educational tools for non-intuitive scientific phenomena as well as new possibilities for industrial-scaleassemblyapplications.Autonomous Mass-AssemblyChiral Self-AssemblySkylar Tibbits, Arthur Olson & Autodesk inc.The Chiral Self-Assembly project was produced for Autodesk University in Las Vegas also as a collaboration with Arthur Olson and Autodesk. In this project we explored biomolecular chirality, or the ability for a structure to have a right-handed and left-handed patterns. The Chiral Self-Assembly project aims to further exploit self-assembly by demonstrating self-sorting and error-correcting structures. When a number of self-similar parts are shaken randomly, the yellow-colored parts and the black-colored parts individually organize themselves into separate solid-colored dodecahedrons showing separation and self-selection.Chiral Self-AssemblyAlternate attraction patterns showing Chirality.Self-Assembly LineSkylar Tibbits, Arthur Olson & SEED Phyllotaxis LabThe Self-Assembly Line, completed for TED Long Beach 2012, is a project done in collaboration with the molecular biologist Arthur Olson at the Scripps Research Institute and Seeds Phyllotaxis Lab. This installation was a large-scale version of a self-assembly virus capsid, demonstrated as an interactive and performative structure. A discrete set of modules were activated by stochastic rotation from a larger container that promoted the interaction between units. The unit geometry and attraction mechanisms ensured that units came into contact with one another and auto-aligned into locally correct configurations. Overtime, as more units came into contact, broke away, and reconnected, larger furniture-scale elements emerged. Given different sets of unit geometries and attraction polarities, various structures could be achieved. By changing the external conditions, the geometry of the unit, the attraction of the units and the number of units supplied, the desired global configurations can be easily programmed.Sel