CRAFT 2015

Experimenting on free-form surfaces to make them with composite materials using the flexible forming technique. The idea of design started with Gyroid minimal surface, but to see how further it could be manipulated and deformed to be able to use it as a pavilion. This workshop’s scenario was more like a negative geometry of a surface as subtracted from its bounding box. This helped to have a simple cube as the exterior, yet the space inside would allow for the experience of a flexible language of design.

Composite material systems were the initial idea to be used in this project. The important part was to make sure that the flexible formwork system would match the desired material outcome, based on its size and geometry. The polyester resin was the material of choice. Because of the controllability, and also its ability to be combined with layers of fiberglass as reinforcement, which gives desired strength and structural stability.

For the fabrication, we subdivided the model into 12 pieces. a waffle structure was made out of CNC-cut pieces of MDF, for each piece to act as formwork for our double curve surface. After that, we covered the waffle structure with a layer of fabric as the base layer and applied a layer of polyester resin, fiberglass, and again a layer of resin.

Craft 2015 pavilion has been assembled together in Vartan historical house in the central areas of

Tehran.

*The project was exhibited in the first Tehran Architecture Biennale.

Directors: Zubin Khabazi, Mehran Davari

Assistant Tutor: Ramtin Taherian

Year: 2015