Dezeen Magazine

Voussoir Cloud by IwamotoScott

Voussoir Cloud, an architectural installation by American architects IwamotoScott, has opened at the SCI-Arc Gallery in Los Angeles.

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The installation is constructed using paper-thin wood laminates, scored with a laser and folded along the curved seam into wedges.

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The installation, created in collaboration with engineering firm Buro Happold, opened on 1 August and continues until 14 September.

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The photos here were taken by Jud Terry.

The following is from the SCI-Arc Gallery:

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The SCI-Arc Gallery is pleased to present Voussoir Cloud, a site-specific installation by San Francisco based architecture and design practice IwamotoScott in collaboration with Buro Happold.

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Voussoir Cloud’s design explores the coupling of potentially conflicting constructional logics – the pure compression of a vault with an ultra-light sheet material. Opening August 8, this installation will be fabricated by IwamotoScott in association with SCI-Arc students.

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Voussoirs, the wedge shaped masonry blocks that make up an arch, are redefined in Voussoir Cloud using a system of three-dimensional modules formed by folding paper thin wood laminate along curved seams. The curvature produces a form that relies on the internal surface tension to hold its shape and allows for a structural porosity within the constraints of sheet material.

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The resulting dimpled, concave modules pack together; naturally creating vaulted forms with a light porous surface. The form-finding exploration of the whole is thus dependent on the geometric performance of the individual units and their relation to the gallery walls.

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Voussoir Cloud intentionally confuses the structural and material strategies. By beginning with a material operation, the design process is focused on calibrating the relationship of digital model to physical result. Working closely with IwamotoScott, SCI-Arc students will assist in the design, construction and installation of the work.