Gradational Reciprocality

by Hiroki Kawashima ( MAUD ’19), Qiaoqi Dai (MLA ’19), Xinyi Zhou (MLA ’20), and Xingyue Huang (MLA ’21)

This is a full-scale wooden pavilion project exhibited in the backyard of the GSD on May 2019. This project investigates the potential of Reciprocal Structure system, where all the structural members are relying on / interlocking each other. With the FEM (Finite Element Model) analysis, we made use of the different depth of the structural members to express the flow of the forces. The structure design was composed of the following methods; 1. Size Optimization to understand the flow of the forces and loads, 2. Assign five different structural members according to the flow of the loads, 3. Structural Safety Assessment with the realistic interlocking joints model. The careful investigation on the coordination between the overall form and the fabrication workload resulted in all the pieces to be carved out from half-inch plywood by CNC milling machine. By managing the construction order, we were finally successful in constructing the whole structure with 2.4 m x 2.4m in plan and 2.0m high. The gradational change of the structure exhibits the sophistication and the perfection of the Reciprocal Structural system. The pavilion canopy was designed to interact with not only people but also the landscape of the GSD backyard.