Archinect - News

Harvard researchers develop deployable structures made from a simple rotational motion

2021-06-29T16:57:00-04:00

Researchers from the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) and the Harvard Graduate School of Design (GSD) have developed a system that uses curved supports to transform flat objects into elaborate and customizable 3D structures.

Called Kiriform, the manufacturing method harnesses the mechanical instabilities in curved beams. The research team used a combination of experiments and numerical analyses to understand the geometry of curved, slender beams and what happens when those structural elements rotate and buckle. With just a simple rotational motion, buckling is used to create deployable structures.

Video: Harvard University

The system is created by layering flat sheets of elastic material on top of one another that interact to support each other when the 2D object is rotated into its 3D form. In addition to being lightweight and compact, Kiriform is fast to assemble and requires minimal hardware, making it cheap to manufacture and easy to d...

Harvard’s origami-inspired structures offer a future for pop-up or emergency architecture

2021-04-28T10:37:00-04:00

Researchers at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) have developed bistable inflatable structures inspired by origami, raising new possibilities for the future of emergency shelters, pop-up architecture, and even extra-terrestrial structures.

Many of today’s inflatable structures are monostable, meaning they require constant pressure to maintain an inflated state. A loss of pressure will return the structure to its original stable form – flat. The researchers at Harvard therefore asked “what if these structures had more than one stable state?” and set about developing a form that eould be just as stable inflated as it was flat on the ground.

The resulting design is inspired by origami and guided by geometry, developed through a library of triangular building blocks that can pop up, fold flat, or combine in different configurations to build closed, multistable shapes. “We are relying on the geometry of these building blocks, not the materi...

Nike transforms historic Chicago church into basketball court for young hoopers

2018-09-19T17:33:00-04:00

It has been said that sport is a religion, and a new pop-up court in Chicago facilitated by Nike takes this quite literally. The Church of Epiphany, dating back to 1885, has been converted by the shoe company into its latest Just Do It HQ. Decked out in custom stained glass, the former historic place of worship has become a site for local high school basketball teams to shoot some hoops.

Photography by Mo Daoud.

The conversion is the work of Storey Studio, a British design studio that has collaborated with Nike on a number of colorful projects. Outfitted with a state-of-the-art basketball court, sports gym, and locker room, their latest work was open for the month of August, offering activities such as interactive youth workshops, training, and school clinics. Former Bulls star Scottie Pippen even stopped by to share some advice with local high school athletes.

Photography by Mo Daoud.

This converted church is the latest example of Nike'...

Japan designs mobile mosques for upcoming 2020 Olympics hospitality

2018-08-29T15:07:00-04:00

The organizers of the upcoming 2020 Olympics in Japan want to ensure that visitors from around the world feel welcomed in their capital [...] Japanese event company, Yasu Project, developed a mobile mosque that will travel throughout the multiple Olympic stadiums. The mosque on wheels is located inside a 25-ton truck, with enough room to fit up to 50 people. It is also equipped with an outdoor rinse station, so that users can participate in a pre-worship cleanse.

In an effort to extend hospitality and cultural inclusion during the 2020 Olympics, Japanese event company Yasu Project has created mobile religious spaces for Muslim attendees. These pop up mosques attempt to solve the issue of limited public and religious infrastructure and the desire for religious spaces.

Mobile mosque designed by Yasu Project for the 2020 Olympics in Japan.

A glimpse of Ian Gillespie's “Fight for Beauty” pop-up exhibition in Vancouver

2017-10-30T17:40:00-04:00

The exhibition “Fight for Beauty” is a physical manifestation of the book of the same name by Westbank founder Ian Gillespie, who Archinect previously interviewed here. Currently displayed near Vancouver's Fairmont Pacific Rim, the pop-up exhibition — just like the book — celebrates Westbank's evolution into a culture company.

Photo credit: Ema Peter.

Curated by Gillespie, the exhibition pays tribute to Westbank's many creative collaborations. Upon entering the magenta graffiti pavilion, visitors first encounter the poem Fight for Beauty written in neon. The self-guided exhibition features works like an expanded version of Omer Arbel's iconic sculptural glass forest “16.480”, a custom-made “Butterfly Fazioli” piano designed by the late architect Bing Thom, and architectural models like Kengo Kuma's Alberni, the Bjarke Ingels-designed Vancouver house and 2016 Serpentine Pavilion.

Photo credit: Ema Peter

Photo credit: Ema Peter.

Other pieces include vintage couture by Yves Saint Laurent a...

POP Brixton to open in late May 2015

2015-05-04T12:52:00-04:00

Created from low-cost, low-energy, shipping containers, the refreshing design has a focus on sustainability and efficiency. The converted units will create a mini-city, providing much needed flexible studio, retail, office and workshop space in one of London’s most vibrant communities.

For those of you that miss the Dekalb Market in Brooklyn, a new shipping container campus will be opening later this month in London. Designed by Carl Turner Architects, POP Brixton promises to be an incubator space for start-ups and small business, as well hosting private parties, community film screenings, street kiosks, workshops and more. Construction has already begun on the project with an opening scheduled later this month.