ATTENCIÓN: “GEODESIC GEOMETRIES” IS THE WORKSHOPS WE’VE BEEN TEACHING SINCE 2012, THE RESEARCHES WE’RE PAUSE-LESS DEVELOPING FROM THAT TIME AND THE PROJECTS THAT WE’VE BEEN REALIZING WITH THOSE TECHNIQUES EVOLUTION. WE SUGGEST TO STUDY ALL THESE ASPECTS TO HAVE A MORE COMPREHENSIVE VIEW OF THE TOPIC.
From the 6th to the 9th of October 2015 was developed in Malaga the International Architecture Workshop “Escala Local, (e: L)” [Local Scale] whose objective was the theoretical and practical experimentation with materials and technologies that are conceived from a local context.
The workshop sought to transcend the its own constructive materiality incorporating reflections on how the choice of a material or a construction system should be consistent with the environmental, urban, social and economic reality in which it operates.
“Escala Local” accompanied the debates and conferences with three practical workshops. Ctrl+Z was invited to develop one of them in collaboration with German López of Arquitectos Sin Fronteras [Architects Without Borders].
Planning and Logistics
Initially the construction of a water collection tower, similar to “A Gota d’Agua” built in another workshop the week before in Brazil, was planned to build in this case from rescued plastic blinds. Finally due to a misunderstanding in the management with the municipal recycling centers, the blinds were not available.
This last minute change forced us to rethink our approach in real time.
So we decided to exploit the opportunity to experience the mathematical and constructive basis application for one of the nine technology systems suitable to geodetic geometries that Ctrl+Z is developing and at the same time to test the teaching protocols, although in an embryonic phase, we are elaborating on it.
Luckily over the last months we had been collecting blinds for building prototypes preparatory to the doctoral research we are outlining and providing solutions to some needs of the ecological or social projects that are being carried out in our closest environment.
The blinds we had at our disposal were of the thin type and actually several rolls had ruled out during the construction of “The Tree”, but could perfectly serve to construct small-scale educational models.
We were reviewing several models used in the past, but finally we decided that the only way to really empower the student would have been to develop with them every step of the process, from design to assembly.
Workshop Development
We propose two different possibilities to the students, the “zomes” (zonohedron + dome) and the geodesic domes, conditioned by time and materials available, and also the possibility of realize both if they would work hard.
We started with a short lecture to introduce the parametric calculation tools for the measures of the pieces and its specific adaptation to the proposed construction system.
At the end of the first day the geodesic dome had been constructed and that although we could not keep a very high work pace as part of the morning was devoted to introducing the work dynamics and security protocols for the use of the involved tools.
The second assembly was developed much more quickly because the group was already familiar with the work’s dynamics and the experience of the first day allowed them to develop the same tasks but in a more conscious way.
The zome was mounted with 50% of the bars required under its design, because there wasn’t for more, but that does not change the values of learning and knowledge transmission of the activity.
Evaluation
Experiences such as Escala Local workshop, with the construction of two structures measured to the group in its complexity, dimensions and timing, show that’s no necessary to build large structures for a basic introduction to geodetic geometries and that those technologies can be learned having fun.
Structure’s Future
Now, once finished the workshop, we have the compromise to donate the structuress to some initiative that might put them in value and be benefited by them, such as urban gardens that could use them as a greenhouse.
We want this to be in Málaga to put them into use with the course students who want to continue their commitment and the journey started in the workshop. With them we will develop the definitive design and will realize the installation. This way we want to encourage their contact with the initiatives that are developing around them, of which at the moment they’ve no record, and, on the other hand, provide to their promoters with an operational tool without other operations needed to be used.
We believe that this is the best way to close successfully the educational circle started with the workshop, to value its results, building community and contacts with similar initiatives and of course have fun!
Students:
Álvaro Medina Torres, Juan Galván Villalba, Juan Navarro Diaz, Jorge Sánchez Rubio, Juan Manuel Aragon Tellez, Maria José Calderón Vázquez.
Thanks:
Kike España Naveira, José Manuel López Osorio, Paloma España Naveira, Sandra Cordoba de la Cruz, Maria Dolores Ciudad Borrallo, Antonio Francisco Ramirez Rueda.