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PRACTISE FABRICATION // LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURES 1:1 // Final Presentation

A collapsible modular tensile structure that allows you to set up a seating and a shelter wherever you want, a rolling cocoon in which you can rest in several different positions before rolling away again and again, a green parametric pavilion formed by a performance-specific components capable to build up a structure out of sawdust and fabric, a foldable fabric shelter able to unfold and possibly stand up as a minimum origami structure….

All of these experimentation have been shown on the 22nd of May at the final presentations of the seminar “lightweight structures 1:1″ at IAAC.

The aim of the seminar, led by Silvia Brandi and Rodrigo Rubio, with the collaboration of Pepe Ballestero (ETSAM Prototipolab) and Maria Kupstova, was to build four lightweight structures using structural fabric, within the format of an intensive workshop.

For the development of the project the course counted on the partnership of Serge Ferrari company, which provided the high-performance fabric Stamisol FT 371-3048 and Stamisol FT 381-3128.

The seminar has been developed in two sessions of three days each: in the first one four groups have been formed around four research topics: tensegrity structures, tensile structures, pure tension structures and fibrous structures.

During the first phase each group developed a project proposal and went trough some material testing and prototyping. During the second phase the construction of the four pavilions has been carried out in IAAC.

At the final presentation the students presented their projects to the jury board, formed by Ramon Sastre, tensile structure expert by ETSAV-UPC, Carmelo Zappulla, IAAC Faculty and principal of External Reference, Areti Markopoulou, MAA Director, together with the IAAC Alumni and Staff Mathilde Marengo, Dori Sadan and Moe Beagle.

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Collapsible Origami

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The idea was to have a portable and foldable structure that when folding in place become a cover for the pelgrims for the Santiago de Compostela Road.
It could be folded into to a single component size for an easy transportation.
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The Tensegrity Lego

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The Tensegrity Lego is made of collective tensegrity modules to achieve an overall counterbalanced and self standing structure.

The structure of each module is achieved by a piece of fabric cut according to a specific geometry generated from Kangaroo, holding four poles along its four edges and eventually creating curvatures between each set of diagonal corners.

The product of a balanced tension of compression results on modules that are structural and flexible at the same time.

The combination of 15 modules creates a versatile structure that can be used according to the users’ imagination.

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Also posted in Alejandro Martinez del Campo, Archana Kadaba Ramesh, Asif Rahman, Maureen Eunice Estrella Lora, Pablo Miguel Marcet Pokorny | Comments closed

PRACTISE FABRICATION // LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURES 1:1 // day 4 to 6

Practise Fabrication // Lightweight Structures 1:1 Seminar, development continues….

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PRACTISE FABRICATION // LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURES 1:1 // day 1 to 3

The Practise Fabrication // Lightweight Structures 1:1 Seminar, led by Silvia Brandi and Rodrigo Rubio, with the collaboration of Pepe Ballesteros (Prototipolab) and Maria Kupstova, is focused on the digital fabrication of lightweight 1:1 scale spatial installations, based on the expertise of Experimental Structures, and the further development of some concepts proposed in Public Space Capsules Seminar from Term 2.

The aim of the Seminar is to realize lightweight spatial installations (embedding textile materials) that are demountable, digitally fabricated, and eventually performative.

The students have formed 4 different groups, each one working on a different structural prototype implementation. In these first 3 days of the seminar each group worked their concept design, testing the structural capacities through the production of small scale prototypes.

The course counts on the collaboration of the company SERGE FERRARI, an international producer of flexible composite materials and membranes of high performances for architecture, who will provide the material for the construction.

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