Kirjoitettua

2025-10-23

2025-10-23_15:56:00 PSL and applications of Polyhedrons

PSL, Poutvaara Science Laboratory, is a new branch started from the Design Bureau Poutvaara. The starting focus project was geometry as invented by the ancient scientists searching for underlying principles of the universe. One significant form has been the Truncated icosahedron, the form is quite popular in science, arts, architecture and engineering. The form can be found also in the World Cup 1970 football design and in the buckminsterfullerene -molecule. The design was named after Archimedes and was rediscovered during the renaissance era.

PSL model of “Truncated icosahedron” was published at the beginning of September and practical applications or physical models have been presented for a sculpture, a structural envelope of a technical building and historical weapons technology. We made research also about the “Regular dodecahedron” and “Regular icosahedron”, which are methods of constructing a “Truncated Icosahedron”. The construction method can be found from Wikipedia, but as usual, I am not revealing my own modelling methods, because the same can be made with great number or ways and essential skills and innovations can be left as the personal intellectual properties and rights. Besides, if anyone is skilled in CAD and design, one can reach the same without my advices. More than teaching design and CAD modelling, PSL is interested in realizing practical applications.

The project can be applied to:

1. Scientific use, for example an illustrative use of an implosion system of the Manhattan project. The same principle is redefined with present day technology to the most contemporary systems.

PSL does not see that there is any problem in scientific images based on public already known and unclassified information. If anyone sees it as a problem, I would remind that the information included is already available in worldwide access in Wikipedia and thousands of other sites in internet. None of the sources used in the modelling is from any secret source, it is mostly information unclassified about 50 years ago. We do not share the modelling information and expertise of PSL for designing and constructing of any actual fission bomb. Basic concept information of the device is not useful in practice: most of the material and technical parts are available mainly in the USA, which used in present day value an equivalent of 30 000 million dollars to the development during the Manhattan project. Also, materials or parts or information about their details, are not either available.

2. Scientific use, for example mathematics and geometry

Illustrative use and model use. I have noticed that the Finnish basic school education uses Wikipedia information about the Platon’s solids for teaching. Information for teaching has been produced by MAOL (The Mathematical Subjects School Teachers Union) and various schools around Finland. PSL has own domestic production of models, calculations and illustrations of all Archimedean, Platonic, Deltahedrons and Catalan Solids, which can be simplified or presented with best scientific form. The same information could be also used in basic school level as well as in high-school and university level, or as academic publications. At the present time PSL has decided not to compete in editing and redefining the main Wikipedia pages about the polyhedrons, although we have better models and more precise calculations.

3. Architecture, Engineering and Design

Design of Domes and spherical structures, also pavilions, interior design and technical constructions. The 15, 25 and 31 Great circles have already been applied by Buckminster Fuller about 60 years ago in modelling of domes.

Catalan solid “pentagonal hexecontahedron” has been used in the Amazon Spheres in Seattle for a cluster of 25 m, 30 m and 40 m wide steel and glass bubbles.

The basic concept of a modern spherical radar cover is presented in PSL. The truncated icosahedron can be transformed with more effort into surface volumes of a spherical construction volume, that is more popular form in radar covers than the angular geometrical one.

4. Artistic use

Sculptures and other objects, and their manufacture. PSL has presented three digital models: “Regular dodecahedron”, “Regular icosahedron” and “Truncated Icosahedron” -sculptures. They can be manufactured from orders for either the art market or as a public artwork.

The truncated icosahedron form has been used in design and art in recent years by for example:

Torkild Workshop in 2024 (700 mm diameter wooden frame artwork at 7500 EUR)

Helena Chastel in USA (813 mm aluminum sculpture at collection of Saatchi Art)

Alt Dynamic sculpture (51 mm steel or titanium sculpture at 100-150 EUR)

George W Hart Leonardo Project (356 mm wooden sculpture at Wendy Petti collection)

Weiwei wooden sculpture “Divina Proportione” in Helsinki Central Library Oodi from 100 000 EUR purchase by HAM museum in 2015 (made in two years by Ai Weiwei workshop. A similar from 2006 was sold in 2017 for 217 000 EUR).

PSL sculpture realizations are for custom orders, materials depending on the use and final appearance. PSL is not repeating any older truncated icosahedron artworks, but can deliver new ones based on the artistic skills, aesthetics and experience. The mathematical form, however, does not belong to any artist, but it is about 2500 years old concept, and are now globally repeated.

Best known and oldest known polyhedron objects and sculptures date back to Roman era 1800 years ago, although the forms were also experimented earlier. Similar are also sold as small casted replicas in web. PSL designs are unique and modern versions of conceptual ancient solids. They share, anyway, similar modern environment challenges as by the ones of the other contemporary artists.