CATENARY

CATENARY

CATENARY

Spring 2018
4.101 - Design Studio: Introduction to Design Techniques and Technologies @MIT

Skills Developed — idea generation, sketch modeling, illustration, prototyping
Materials / Processes — helium balloons, net, string

CATENARY is a cloud-like structure that transforms in its environment. The dynamic interface between the net membrane and the balloon lightness takes inputs from individuals through strings and the surrounding wind. The structures’ fluid quality juxtaposed with its large scale as well as the competition between air and weight underscores the resulting equilibrium.

In this installation myself and three other students worked with the idea of funicular structures. In contrast to the weights used by Gaudi we chose to work with helium balloons. In doing so we inverted the funicular structure and focused on the dynamic equilibrium created by the weight and air; nature's gravitational law and the control of the canopy. We iterated with many smaller models before we selected our final full-scale plan which used large helium balloons and a grid of tethered net pockets.