Tensegrity
Workshop | Participated as a Team | My Work: Research, Design, and Fabrication | 2015
Installation
Installations, whether functional or non-functional, always play the role of an exponent in space. When elements of space cannot convey certain concepts to users alone, installations are the best way to convey them. Although they may not need installations, prominent public spaces are the best opportunity to convey some concepts.
The present element is an abstract structure with dimensions of 3m in 3m that repeated in 4 rows built in Isfahan University of Arts. To create new ideas and a different perspective on issues, universities have always been an excellent place to build installations. Different disciplines in universities have made them one of the main places to build elements and installations.
The mentioned installation is a light, dry, soft, and suspended structure that influenced design, material selection, and construction techniques.
Description of tensegrity structure
This structure was built by a group of students and professors of architecture at Isfahan University of Arts in 2015. The fabrication technique chosen in this installation was the use of the tensegrity method. In conventional structures such as beams and columns, an element has both the function of withstanding pressure and withstanding tension. This makes the dimensions of the structural elements more prominent and non-optimal. Unlike conventional structures, the elements that must withstand the pressure in tensegrity structures are designed separately from the tensile elements. Thus, Tensegrity structures are structures in which compressive and tensile elements with each other can achieve stability. These structures are much lighter than conventional structures and, in some cases, even more, stable due to the optimization of structural elements.
Details and Manufacturing Techniques
Inspired by a typical module, this installation was made of 192 pieces of wood with a length of 1 meter as compressive elements and cable as a tensile element. Each module consisted of 6 pieces of wood with a cable passing through each end, and two types of details were used to prevent the cable from moving along the wood. The best way to harness the force of the cables in the middle of each module was to use a tensile loop. It was necessary to neutralize the cable forces; all three cables made this possible by connecting to the tension loops. Something that may have been considered an innovation over the design of the former modules. All eight modules were done in a loop next to each other. Finally, four loops were put on top of each other to form a coherent volume.
Location
Finally, the built volume was placed as an iconic symbol of the dry season in the Isfahan University of Arts courtyard in front of the Aali Qapu mansion. This structure was located in this place for up to 3 years.
Email: maryam.jahadakbar@gmail.com