ABSTRACT
The Institute for Computational Design (ICD) and The Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at the University of Stuttgart constructed a temporary pavilion in 2010. The pavilion is a dynamic expression of the physical behavior present in a material placed under stress. In this instance, thin birch veneer plywood strips, 6.5mm, are placed in an elastic bend, or "bending active" position to create a rigid structural arch. The form was developed based on a series of lab tests, analyzing the amount of curvature at which the plywood was capable of sustaining strain and eventual failure. Each of the panel strips, once bent, are organized in a circumferential ring of alternating convex and flat panels, which resist the elastic compression of each panel. The model was tested using a finite element analysis simulation. The test estimates the energy contained in the bent strips to measure how the entire system would perform.
