Wave Hi to the Highland Park

Case Study

From Reinforced Concrete to Plywood 

Formal Exploration

Kit-Of-Parts Constraints 

The group tried really hard to design a full dome, which is very possible given the versatility of the shape that we chose. However, this shape ultimately makes a pattern of squares, and as those squares were assembled into a dome-shape, they tended to distort into diamonds. This created 2 separate issues, simultaneously. First, as we built away from center, we ended up needing longer members in some places, and shorter members in other places; and second, the angle of the notch changed as the pattern moved further down the dome. While this could be solved using an unlimited number of unique shapes, we chose instead to only curve around one axis. This allowed us to use uniformly shaped members, and provided the unexpected benefit of allowing us to construct self-supporting modules that could be constructed off-site if the assembly were scaled up. 

Notches Create Stress Concentrations 

Notching the members drastically reduces their moment of inertia at the notch location, resulting in high stress concentrations, as well as potential for splitting under tension perpendicular to grain forces. We found that these stresses could be alleviated by reducing the notch depth and/or by raising or lowering the middle section of the beam, relative to the ends, to achieve various pitches. 

Canopy Coverage

An additional feature we considered was fabric covering for the structure. The main criterion for choosing a specific fabric includes sustainability and durability of the material.  

This would serve several purposes:  

1. Discouraging climbing 
2. Protecting the wood from moisture (rain) and other elements 
3. Providing shelter if necessary 
4. Translucent to show off the frame

Possible fabric choices include the following: 

Diagrams + Drawings

Assembly

Difficult Detailing at Column Connections 

The structure’s curvature, combined with the member’s, created a complex and unique condition where the column meets the canopy. As a temporary solution, we created a column to match the width of the squares and attach via through-bolts. The result was a column whose aesthetic is out of step with the rest of the structure. Our ideal solution would be to repurpose shapes that already exist within our structure. This could mean continuing the arch on the outer-most bays, creating columns from the long cross-pieces. Either solution would likely represent a reduction in the number of unique shapes from the columns that we have now.