PLAY with PLYWOOD
In fall 2015, for exploring the notion of three-dimensional structures, students in freshman design studios in the Department of Architecture at Texas A&M University were asked to design Surface Active Arches by using plywood. One of the most significant discoveries made by students working on these Surface Active Arch Design projects was that changing the materials they used also changed their final forms; their forms were not driven simply by geometry, but also by material properties. Despite the widespread development and adoption of three-dimensional (3D) modeling software that allows designing complicated shapes virtually, the physical construction of such complicated shapes is still an important problem. One of the significant challenges is that freshman students do not have software expertise and fabrication knowledge and skills. The developable surfaces, which can be made out of thin sheets of flat materials by rolling these sheets without stretching, are useful for the physical construction of complicated shapes. Flat sheets are also excellent materials for teaching the design of complicated architectural shapes since they can simply be cut using laser cutters, which are one of the most available digital fabrication tools in the school of architecture. Moreover, using widely available flat sheets such as plywood panels can significantly reduce manufacturing costs.
Project Credits:
School: Department of Architecture at Texas A&M University
Instructors: Alireza Borhani – Negar Kalantar
Students: Abu Ashour – Akins – Berger – Bush – Campos – Cynthia- Casto- Cook- Duran- Espinosa- Farmer – Flores – Garant – Garcia- Garcia – Grasley – Hergert – Holmes – Hornung – Houser – Johnson – Kim – Lamastra – Lambeth – Madrigale – Martinez – Marshall – McArdle – McCabe – Moreno – Ortiz Beltran – Pennacchi – Perez – Preiss – Raymond – Reyes – Richardson – Rosas – Ruby – Salazar – Zavala – Smith – Standefer – Taylor – Terry – Vu – Werner – Wilson – Zapata – Zavala – Zipps
Ibrahim Abdelhady is an architect, academic, and media entrepreneur with over two decades of experience in architecture and digital publishing. He is the Founder and CEO of Arch2O.com, a leading platform in architectural media, renowned for showcasing innovative projects, student work, and critical discourse in design. Holding dual PhDs in Architecture, Dr. Abdelhady combines academic rigor with industry insight, shaping both future architects and architectural thought. He actively teaches, conducts research, and contributes to the global architecture community through his writing, lectures, and media ventures. His work bridges the gap between practice and academia, pushing the boundaries of how architecture is communicated in the digital age.