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Architecture     Vaulting Space
2018  




Teaching Team:
Prof. Jessica Garcia-Fritz

Course Information:
DoArch Building Shops, South Dakota State University, Fall 2018 *Exhibited at the Washington Pavillion Design Invitational*
The project developed through an investigation of historical building elements and their reconstruction using contemporary methods of digital fabrication. The study focused on the digital modeling and physical fabrication of a tas de charge, using the sexpartite vaults of Notre-Dame Cathedral as a precedent for understanding the relationship between geometry, structure, and construction.

The tas de charge was examined as the portion of the vault responsible for transferring loads from the arches into the supporting columns. Through this study, the project translated a historically complex constructional element into a digital model, allowing its geometry and assembly to be analyzed through contemporary modeling techniques.

The final piece was developed through three-dimensional modeling in Rhino and fabricated from Baltic birch plywood using a CNC router. Through the combination of historical precedent, digital modeling, and physical fabrication, the project examined how advanced fabrication methods can be used to reconstruct and better understand traditional building systems. All work was completed in collaboration with the Fall 2018 ARCH 461 class.




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