Fluid Pavilion
Design Technology Advanced Seminar in collaboration with Charisse Foo
College of Architecture, Art, and Planning, Cornell University
Supervised by Asst Prof Martin Miller and Asst Prof Sasa Zivkovic
Winner of the 2015 Archdaily Best Student Work Worldwide
Designed with only 3 unit types, this experimental pavilion constructed from 213 individual PETG components explores the potential of thermoforming as a structural mechanism that can program memory, elasticity and strength into ordinary sheet plastic. By carefully embedding different types of 3D curvatures into sheet plastic, we were able to calibrate a spectrum of structural properties that made it possible to construct a 8’ tall pavilion from 0.75mm PETG sheet. Observing that singly-curved surfaces provided elasticity in one direction and rigidity in the other, we merged one-direction curvatures in different orientations and amplitudes to create complex doubly-curved surfaces that have customised degrees of rigidity, elasticity, and directionality. Thus the doubly-curved surfaces control the micro behavior of each module while the combination of the modules control the macro behavior of the pavilion, creating an extremely light-weight structure that is at the same time both strong and soft.
