20EM_X10

EQUILIBRIUM MODEL / EXPERIMENT TEN

Dependent on our center of gravity, we as humans fluctuate between states of instability and equilibrium. As architectural designers we work to ensure our projects have a degree of static stability and permanence. Looking towards perhaps the most renowned example of how the human body relates to architecture, the caryatids on the south porch of the Erechtheion begin to blend these two assertions. Using this connection to guide our exploration, we found inspiration studying the six degrees of motion of the human shoulder joint.

In response, our experiment uses a simple set of elements – a pair of dowels (acting as a column, or body, and acting as a beam, or arm), a stereotomic cube (serving as the head, or a weight in the hand), and string. The six parametric variations are achieved through changing the positions of the three major elements, using compressive and tensile forces to ensure equilibrium.