Rice Architecture
26HM_X05
Zoe Lu, Zehao Zhang, Verda Wu, Nicolai Mendoza
PHYSICAL MODEL


DIGITAL MODEL


PROCESS
This hanging model explores how gravity and incremental variation generate architectural form through a controlled system of suspended chains. A square wooden base supports a 13 × 13 overhead grid of ¾” × ¾” members, establishing precise anchoring points. Chains hang from the grid in ½-foot increments from 1 to 2.5 feet, producing calibrated catenary curves shaped by gravity.
Across iterations, chains are rearranged to form concave surfaces, draped fields, and layered volumes. Variations in length, orientation, and connection—sometimes linking chains to one another—create shifting spatial conditions. The project uses force and material behavior as generative tools, demonstrating how simple rules can produce complex volumetric structures.
























