Design and construction of the asymptotic pavilion

Abstract

Digital tools have made it easy to design freeform surfaces and structures. The challenges arise later in respect to planning and construction. Their realization often results in the fabrication of many unique and geometrically-complex building parts. Current research at the Chair of Structural Design investigates curve networks with repetitive geometric parameters in order to find new, fabrication-aware design methods. In this paper, we present a method to design doubly-curved grid structures with exclusively orthogonal joints from flat and straight strips. The strips are oriented upright on the underlying surface, hence normal loads can be transferred via bending around their strong axis. This is made possible by using asymptotic curve networks on minimal surfaces 1, 2. This new construction method was tested in several prototypes from timber and steel. Our goal is to build a largescale (9x12m) research pavilion as an exhibition and gathering space for the Structural Membranes Conference in Munich. In this paper, we present the geometric fundamentals, the design and modelling process, fabrication and assembly, as well as the structural analysis based on the Finite Element Method of this research pavilion.