IaaC, in collaboration with Map13 Architects: Marta Domenech, David Lopez, Mariana Palumbo, and BLOCK Research Group, ETH Zurich, have finalized the Parametrized Catalan Vault, fruit of a 2 week-long workshop where a team of 27 Students designed and constructed a thin-tile vault in our forest campus in Valldaura.

Advanced digital tools along with traditional century-old Catalan masonry techniques will be deployed in the process, with students seeking to re-engineer, compute, and eventually construct a Vault in the forest.

IaaC is also furthering this research investigating in the field of advanced robotic fabrication techniques towards the implementation and automization of these complex catalan vault forms.

Special thanks to Areti Markopoulou, Lucas Cappelli and Ioan Pribagu for the final outcome!

On the last scheduled day on the site, a big effort was made to finish the first layer of bricks, in order for the pavilion to obtain structural integrity and the steel rods to be removed. The weather slowed things down, as varying humidity conditions affected with the behaviour of the fast-setting concrete mixture, while at times rain made it impossible to work on the site. Students and stuff put a lot of effort, while becoming acquainted with this unique catalan technique. Once more, the day ended with a big barbeque. The pavilion is not yet complete, which means more visits will be paid to the site until the completion of the structure.

Days four and five of the Brick Works Thin-Tile Vault Seminar – both days on the site at the Valldaura Self Sufficient Labs – kicked off with a collective effort to finish mounting the Laser-cut cardboard pieces that were used as guides for the construction process. These were attached to the wooden formwork. The steel frame and foundations were then set, and the cardboard guides removed, to give way to the beginning of the brick laying phase. Thin bricks are starting to be laid, held in place with the help of the steel rod structure, and fast setting concrete. Once the first layer of bricks is in place, the metal substructure will be removed, and two more layers of bricks will be placed, finally leading to the completion of the structure in question.

Day three of the Brick Works Thin-Tile Vault Seminar – and second day on the site – kicked off with a collective effort to finish the wooden formwork. Once finished, the wooden formwork was carried and installed to the site, a process that required a lot of manual labour. Laser-cut cardboard pieces that will be used as guides for the construction process were then attached to the wood. The concrete foundations were laid, always keeping in mind the protection of the soil, as the site is situated in the heart of the Collserola natural park. Sheets of plastic were introduced before the concrete was poured, in order to prevent contamination.

After a full day of hard work, students and staff set up a sunday barbecue in the Masia terrace, while the sun was setting behind Montserrat.

Most preparations are now over and construction with bricks can start in the next session, a week from now.

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Day 2 of the Brick Works Thin-Tile Vault Seminar was and intense and productive day at the Valldaura Self-Sufficient Labs.

The day started out with recycling wood for the formwork necessary to accomplish the structure, that was later assembled. The group of students and tutors also dug the soil for the foundations, then laying out the plastic protection for the soil.

Construction will start on Day 3, so stay tuned for the next steps.

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