Fibrous Sphere Packing Pavilion

Through a Fly’s eyes

The “Multifunction Pavilion” at the Courtyard of Florid International University School of Architecture. In addition, students required to develop different variations of the same Genome base of the location, program and environmental criteria over various location the FIU campus.  Students develop an architectural fabrication of a pavilion as the originating unit for the project. This project demands an extensive scientific research prior to design process. Each group of students will be assigned to use a specific methodology involving a form-finding method.

The Biomimicry Approach:

The following project is inspired by Horsefly’s eye in a microscale level. The They have compound eyes, which consist of thousands of ommatidia, or eyes, which each individual eye sees its own image. These images are then all combined together to gives an almost 360-degree view, the dome shape of their eyes also makes this possible. Although they have an almost three hundred and sixty degrees vision, their vision is very blurry. Each cell is compressed and arranged in a hexagonal packing system.

Digital Form-finding:

Closed-packing script “Surface Closed Pack”, in Grasshopper code is being used to create the overall geometry. Later each sphere cover by “Random Cross Line Mesh” code to create a fibrous and lightweight structure.

The Fabrication Technique:

The technique used to construct the sphere by twisting a single string of fiber around an inflated form that was then removed. The process of fabrication is very hands-on and analogue.

Design by Student: Ramses Terrero and  Angel Alfaro

Constructed by: Hagar Abdou & Oriana Espinoza, Austin Roy & Chris Crocitto, Kurt Stenson and Soufiane Benbrahim, Maria C Mouzinho & Nicole Franzese, Joanna Cruz and Iris Sanchez