Faceted Ephemerality

cRITIC

Laia Mogas Soldevila

TEAM

Carlotta De Bellis, Peehu Sinha, Tia Yu, Chun Zhou

PROJECT STATEMENT

Faceted Ephemerality is an irregular multifaceted structure that engages the viewer with its material honesty, and sparks curiosity through a series of apertures. The dry-construction method enables the model to be assembled and disassembled, adding an aspect of temporality to the design. Its expansive dowels, which sometimes stretch over the site boundaries, allow the chamber to be situated in a dynamic way.

The chamber’s exterior envelope is clad in semi-opaque muslin cloth, whereas the interior space is dedicated to the weaving of a moire pattern achieved through pleated olive tulle. The structure’s frame is composed of dowels which are held in space between 3D-printed plastic joinery and fastened with brass binding posts. In any instance, the plastic joints hold two rectangular poplar dowels to form one square member. This creates an edge condition between the two poplar wood pieces and achieves a seamless stretching of the muslin. Openings are distributed across the skin to allow for varying views of the moire. The first and second apertures let the viewer peek inside while standing upright, and the third aperture invites the viewer to crawl low to the ground to appreciate the interior.

Lastly, adhesive light strips are added onto selected members to enhance the effect of the interior moire, and concurrently illuminate the outside skin - making it translucent. This visual transformation of the opacity of the material further enriches the geometric play of the form.

Hyperlapse imagery

Form Finding

Plan view

Underside + Tulle assembly

Envelope Assembly

3D Printed joinery catalogue

Structure and Envelope detail