IASS Barcelona 2019 Expo +info

As part of the 60th Anniversary Celebrations for IASS in Barcelona, WG21 organised a Competition and exhibition of innovative lightweight structures. Entries from all over the world were exhibited for the duration of the conference. The SMiA research group had the honor of participating with the Vertex Pavilion project, in collaboration with the MArch Architecture students and Lab at Nottingham Trent University, School of Architecture Design and Built Environment. 

 

 

The ‘Vertex’ structure is a pilot proposal for emergency and temporary architecture. The prototype was fabricated and tested by the MArch Architecture students and Lab at Nottingham Trent University, School of Architecture Design and Built Environment as part of a workshop on deployable structures conducted by the SMiA (Structural Morphology in Architecture) Research Group.

The ‘Vertex’ structure is comprised of three triangles made up of 27 scissor-like straight bars. When unfolded the triangles scissor-like bars deploy to create three arches. The arches are joined to each other at ground level and secured in place using three bases. Finally, the arches’ stability is secured at the upper level by the tension force of the textile membrane.  The fabrication process included both conventional fabrication and assembly of materials as well as the use of 3D printing and laser cutting technology. The assembly of the 1:1 prototype was carried out in one hour.  Each triangle weights 9 kg, and the entire structure including the bases and the textile is 70kg.