Students helped to construct the individual petals and then the actual structure. A team of students is seen working to install some of the perimeter petal sections.
This installation had to be constructed in a very specific order, with each phase represented by a different color in this diagram. The column feet (in pink) had to be constructed first, followed by the ribs of the vaults (brown), the perimeter (green), and the infill spaces on top of the vaults (yellow).
An assembled petal
In the Voussoir Cloud, a series of wood laminate petals were used to create compression arches and vaults in a study of structure and porosity. Teams of students were involved in folding the laser-cut petals and in assembling those petals to construct the installation.
Petals were lasercut from thin wood laminate
The seams were scored for ease of assembly
Each petal was designed using a computer script written by the design team. The virtual petals could then be digitally unfolded to create a template from which the actual petals could be laser-cut.
Four types of petals were used in construction—those with zero, one, two, or three curved edges. These petals were then placed and secured in a pattern that allows compression vaults to be formed.
This model showcases the development of petal types needed to form a proper compressive vault system. The model was developed using Delaunay tessellation patterns, derived from nature.
