Funicular Flexible Shell
Funicular Flexible Shell, 2017. Coroplast sheets, 6 x 2.5 m.
This project was realized for the course ARCH259 which included a general introduction to bending and folding principles in nature and technology, case studies of bent and folded structures from varies fields of application, hands-on physical experimentation and digital simulation of flexible and elastic structures and mechanism, an introduction to the design of patterns and tessellations, and a screening for architectural implementations of compliant systems.
The team designed and built a 1:1 scale model, spanning 6 meters in diameter and 2.5 meters in height, of a funnel flexible shell structure with modular and planar coroplast sheets. The 3D geometry was modelled using Rhinoceros and Grasshopper plug-ins, and the planar coroplast sheets were cut with the Zund machine in the CED Digital Fabrication Lab. The shell is comprised of vertical strips to resist compression due to gravity loads, and horizontal strings forming tension rings to resist the natural opening effect , similar to a flower blossoming, of a funnel.
Reese Greenlee
Ioanna Tatli, MArch. Architecture (2017)
Georgios Kontominas, MArch. Architecture (2017)
Simon Schleicher, Assistant Professor, Architecture