More work from the Form Finding lab at Princeton, this time a collaboration with SOM and others for the Venice Bienalle. From SOM’s instagram post:
Born from our collaboration with @princeton's @formfindinglab and the UCHV Research Film Studio, the installation allows visitors to experience a self-balancing vault structure, created through a mixed-reality approach that merges traditional craftsmanship with augmented reality technology.
The self-supporting vault construction technique has enabled centuries of architectural innovation, including Filippo Brunelleschi’s dome for the Florence cathedral. Researchers at the @formfindinglab and @unibergamo discovered that the dome may have been built using self-balancing mechanics, eliminating the need for temporary external supports during construction. Since it enables efficient material use and reduces construction waste, this technique has many applications for sustainable construction today.
To explore this, the Form Finding Lab worked with SOM, and researchers @disa_unibg, the University of Salerno and @iearchdesign to use advanced digital methods to generate a self-balancing sculptural shape tailored to the exhibition site, Venice’s Palazzo Mora’s gardens.
The mason used a data-driven augmented reality interface to guide the placement of each brick in a complex geometric pattern. Construction of the vault was led by @cercaa.build the Spanish training center for building crafts in Spain. The construction was coordinated and managed by the Italian general contractor @taramellisrl. The gluelam beams of the vault were fabricated by JPF Ducret SA and the bricks were hand-manufactured by Terreal Italia srl.