Parametric Design

Construcció de 2 aules obertes del MPDA

The students from UPCSchool MPDA master in parametric design in architecture, taught online and at the ETSAV architecture school, have accomplished during the studio2 course the design and construction of 2 timber structures for hosting open air classrooms in two different schools. The students followed a program of continuous reviews by international experts on structural design, wood construction, computational geometry and membrane patterning. The students solved all the design, structural modelling of the joints and the structural analysis of the whole structure, the numerical fabrication and construction processes themselves.

The "Zollinger" open classroom built at the CanCuní, is a lightweight gridshell of short handleable pieces of birch plywood. The system is loosely based on the traditional Zollinger system which consists of the reciprocal transfer of loads in a short beam system. Covering doubly curved surfaces with this system is possible without the need for long and thick beams and complex manufacturing joints, reducing the overall cost, time and weight of the whole structure by using stiff metal plates which is the scope of the research. The challenge is to design and calibrate a joint stiff enough to prevent the need of a cost increasing and time consuming bracing system. The whole system packs in a van and is manufactured with standard cnc and laser machinery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHaFB_iwSXg

The “3way” open classroom built at the ETSAV , is an ultra-thin gridshell of long and wide birch plywood 12mm planks. The structure hosts openair lectures for students. The system is based on the coupling of three families of pseudo-geodesic curves on a common surface that can be built from completely straight and planar planks without any waste. The simple 1D manufacturing technology relies solely on the exact positioning of the holes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51X1Cx_ECuw

MPDA program provides the computational design framework for the creation and optimization of timber lightweight structures with a low ecological footprint.

Students: Jorge Adrian Martorell ,Christian Merhej, Rudy Riachy , Alberto Sadun , Marc Serra , Alex Solà, Aitor Vadillo , Luis Ángel Garcia, Khalifa Alkhazriji , Ángel Barrón, Dalia Ezzeddine, Danny Vallejo , Ehsan Naguib, Weston Porter.

International experts:
Julian Lienhard , Bending-active, STR.ucture / Universität Kassel
Dragos Naicu, timber gridhsells
Anna Bauer, Structural analysis, Kiwi!3d / TUM
Ángel Antequera, Load cases and Wind, CODA /Modularem
Alberto Pugnale, Timber construction, University Melbourne
Almudena Majano, Timber engineering, ETSAM
Antonio Lara, Timber Engineering, ETSAM
Ton Miserachs, Membrane patterning, TP Arquitectura i construcció textil

Academic direction:
Gerard Bertomeu
Pep Tornabell
Ramon Sastre
Enrique Soriano
partners at CODA and teachers at Barcelonatech and UPCschool

Designed in Grasshopper3d, with Kangaroo2
Analyzed in Karamba3d and Kiwi!3d

Acknowledgments
Special thanks to Can Cuní and to ETSAV UPC Architecture school for their support and workshops
Somnis a mida,
Camping el Llac
Serge Ferrari for sponsoring the material
And always thankful to Daniel Piker for the use of Kangaroo
GabarróHermanos www.gabarro.com timber logistics using UPM plywood
Manxa Bricolatge www.manxabricolatge.com Hardware
Treats from Serra Jordia

Photo Credit from andres flajszer http://www.andresflajszer.com/