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Joseph Choma will become the next Director of the School of Architecture at Florida Atlantic University

2022-04-01T17:46:00-04:00

Clemson University’s Joseph Choma has been announced as the next Director of the School of Architecture at Florida Atlantic University (FAU).

Choma is currently the Director of the Design Topology Lab and has been the Director of Clemson’s Master of Science in Architecture program since July. Choma will take office effective July 1st and replaces Associate Professor Francis E. Lyn, who has been serving as Interim Director.

Earlier on Archinect: Joseph Choma explains why folding is important to the field of architecture

His work centers on material innovation, experimental construction methods, and the impact of complex geometries on the built environment. Noteworthy projects have included a recent studio exploring the application of his patented foldable fiberglass structures as shelter in the wake of natural disasters, an installation for the AIA’s Atlanta Emerging Voices competition in 2013, and the solo exhibition Object to Atmosphere for the Barbara Archer Gallery, also in Atlan...

Joseph Choma explores foldable shelters with his students at Clemson University

2021-12-20T14:24:00-05:00

Taking as the focus the possibility of his patented, foldable fiberglass technique for use in resiliency design efforts, Design Topology Lab founder Joseph Choma is once again breaking the mold on a typology that has become increasingly relevant in the era of intensifying natural disasters born out of climate change.

Choma is currently teaching a studio at Clemson that explores the potential of fully deployable shelters for disaster relief with foldable composites.

The Cone crease pattern. Image courtesy of Joseph Choma, Clemson University.

The studio was split into four parts. The first segment included analyzing the current state of deployable shelters for disaster relief, uncovering what he calls a significant gap between lightweight tents and more permanent dwellings made from prefabricated components. This gap resulted in people usually living in tents a great deal longer than originally anticipated. The challenge for his students then became to answer the question of how flat-p...

Joseph Choma explains why folding is important to the field of architecture

2019-05-08T16:27:00-04:00

Joseph Choma, founder of Design Topology Lab and an architecture professor at Clemson University, is pioneering work into the field of foldable structures and materials. For the past few years, Choma has been focused on developing a fabrication technique that allows fiberglass to be folded by hand.

While some might compare the technique to origami, Choma's work differs by embracing material and structural constraints. "Traditionally, origami is dominantly composed of hidden under tucked folds, which is not an efficient use of material or ideal for resisting structural loads," he explains. For Choma, the difference is that once a folded plane has a specific orientation to gravity and is considered to have material thickness with the intent of carrying loads, it is no longer 'just origami', but a folded structure.

Photo by Joseph Choma.

One would think folded structures have a long historical lineage within the field of architecture. However, most structures which we casually label a...

See how Joseph Choma built the “Chakrasana” arch using his fiberglass folding technique

2017-09-05T14:23:00-04:00

Design Topology Lab founder Joseph Choma continues to put his fiberglass hand-folding technique to the test in a new larger scale structure called “Chakrasana”, which is currently on display at Clemson University, where Choma is an architecture professor.

Weighing in at only 400 pounds, the accordion arch pavilion was designed, fabricated by hand, and installed by Choma and a team of four people within 30 days. Design Topology Lab further explains their fabrication process below:

Photo: Joseph Choma.

“Similar to paper folding, the process begins with a crease pattern composed of mountain and valley folds. Two 54 yard long rolls of 33.3" fiberglass cloth were stitched together using a full flat felled seam to create one continuous 32' 10" x 21' 9" sheet, with zero material waste. All the edges were precisely sewn to prevent sharp, rough or frayed edges. Using a painter's masking tape, a crease pattern was drawn on the fabric surface. The intricate pattern was composed of a total of 87...

Joseph Choma demonstrates his nifty paperfolding technique for fiberglass

2017-07-11T20:20:00-04:00

In his latest design investigation, Joseph Choma, the founder of Design Topology Lab and an architecture professor at Clemson University, is helping shape up a future for fiberglass being used as a primary building material. Choma has been developing a fabrication technique that allows him to create structures by hand-folding fiberglass — a technique that he describes is as simple as folding paper.

Photo credit: Ken Scar, Clemson University

By selectively coating resin on fiberglass cloth, parts can fold easily along the fabric hinges, Choma describes. The process doesn't require any molds or fasteners, which could mean less production cost and less material waste. In developing the technique, Choma is driven by the belief that fiberglass will become a primary building material in the next decade, possibly replacing steel. Typically used as a secondary component, fiberglass is noted for its resistance to corrosion and to harsh elements like fire. Choma's technique indicates that it's...

Winners of the MORPHING book giveaway

2015-03-20T21:19:00-04:00

In Archinect's latest book giveaway, we received over 100 responses for MORPHING: A Guide to Mathematical Transformations for Architects and Designers. Authored by Design Topology Lab founder Joseph Choma, Morphing is a pedagogical guide that can help architects, designers, students, and enthusiasts to understand in greater depth the trigonometric transformations and functions behind the digital design tools they use.

The three lucky winners are:

Brian, Columbus
Chris, New York
Nicholas, Vancouver

Congrats! And a great big thank you to everyone who participated.

Joseph Choma shared more details about Morphing, which you can read here.

BOUNDARIES by Joseph Choma / Design Topology Lab

2012-02-07T17:35:00-05:00

Architect and designer Joseph Choma of Design Topology Lab, a research platform dedicated to the ontology of space defined by mathematics, has shared with us his project, BOUNDARIES. The installation, part of a recent exhibition at SP_ARC Gallery in Marietta, Georgia, is a 26' x 13' drawing of his trigonometric transformation: thickening and is constructed out of 450 tiles.