S3, Camber Shell Beam.
CAST IN PLACE VAULTS
This illustrated description shows several methods of forming prefabricated thin-shell concrete structures using molds made from hanging flat sheets of fabric. These fabric sheets are allowed to deflect into naturally occurring funicular geometries, producing molds for lightweight funicular compression vaults and stiff double curvature wall panels. These methods were developed at the Centre for Architectural Structures and Technology (C.A.S.T.) at the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Architecture. Some of the work illustrated here closely follows methods of funicular shell formation pioneered by Heinz Isler, who used small-scale funicular models to determine full-scale construction geometry and structural behavior of reinforced concrete thin-shells. Our work is aimed at making full-scale hanging fabric molds using powerful industrial fabrics - essentially scaling-up Isler’s model-making method into full-sized shell molds. The maximum size of these structures has yet to be determined. Our early small full-size constructions are illustrated here as indications of the potential for “self-forming” funicular fabric molds. Our work at CAST uses a simple set of construction tools, fasteners, and technologies. We do not “tailor” our fabric molds into pre-set curvatures - we use only flat sheets of fabric taken right off the role. The shell geometries illustrated here are given to us by the natural deformations of these simple flat-sheets, and are, in this sense, “found”, “natural”, structures. The goal of this work is to invent simple, and beautiful structures that consume less material in construction, while opening new degrees of freedom to architects, engineers and builders in both high- and low-capital building cultures.
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