FOLDING PLATES | FABRICATION
For this project, we were to design a structure made entirely of concrete, with minimal steel reinforcing, that could maintain a favorable strength to weight ratio given the 130 lbs. weight limit. To achieve the task at hand, we started by playing with several different structural schemes, ultimately choosing to settle on a folded plate design. The design mimics the structural language of a tree canopy. The base of each column is smaller in diameter than the top of the column, in order to pick up the wide load and transfer it down to a series of efficient points. The columns themselves are modeled after a saguaro’s ribbing, the folding of which, helps to give the columns depth, without adding unnecessary material. Metal threaded rod was then embedded into the “roof” of the structure to give the cantilevering top plate tensile strength. Lastly, the assembly of columns was arranged in a grid creating a vault, which helped provide more structural stability.
With Collaborators: Miranda Stevens, Raul Castro, Colin Kenyon, Tyler Elwell
