Rice Architecture
22MM_X02
MEMBRANE MODEL / EXPERIMENT TWO
Valeria Aguirre
John Curylo
David Wu
Amber Wang
With the logic established by our previous model, we used compressive forces and catenary curves to produce our hanging membrane model. Form finding thus played a central role in how we experimented with material. As with the first hanging model, we simplified the number of variables – we had very few control points where the fabric connects with the frame as well as with the use of the fabric itself – and produced complexity in the manipulation of single parameters. In order to produce the forms we were looking for, we soaked the fabric to introduce an evenly distributed weight. This in addition to the elasticity present within the cloth we were using allowed us to produce smoother curves and folds within the membrane. With each subsequent variation, we began with simple and symmetrical connections and progressively introduced complexity by only changing the location of the connection with the frame. Finally, to further explore our variations and the logic of weighted fabric, we soaked our last variation in concrete and let it set, producing a solid membrane instead of a porous one.