FUNICULAR SHELL
FROM HANGING FABRIC TO PAVILION
STRUCTURES I, THE COOPER UNION, SPRING 2024
PROFESSOR: JULIAN PALACIO
IN COLLABORATION WITH: XINYU LAI, YUHAN HU, ELAINE LU
In this project, we engaged in the exploration and creation of a funicu-lar shell structure. Initially, students were tasked with designing a prototype using hanging fabric to form a shell structure. Once the physical prototype is created, students scanned it to digitize the shell structure. This step bridges the tactile experience with digital precision, enabling a detailed analysis and reconstruc-tion of the shell in a virtual environment. The digital model will serve as the foundation for further exploration and refinement of the structural design. With the digitized shell, we analyzed the funicular nature of the structure, understanding how forces are distributed and how the shape naturally responds to these forces. Next, we made a basswood layering model of the funicular shell.