Glass Pond
TECHNIQUE: Cold Bent Standard Glass (1x2m)
DATE: 2014
STUDENTS: Class spring
PROGRAMM: In Silico Building
PLACE: LAUSANNE
The pavilion “Glass Pond” realized by the students of the class ‘In Silico Building’ (teachers Paul Ehret & Philipp Eversmann) in collaboration with ICOM (Christian Louter) illustrate the use of cold bent glass.
As any material the glass has certain elasticity, enabling to be curved in the respect of some maximum values. This glass dome is composed by an underlying 5 axis cut wood structure, ten 1mX2m standard tempered glass panels and metal frames maintaining the glass in place.
The curvature study has been done through shape relaxation and optimization in order to populate this double curved surface with planar identical panels.
Double ruled surfaces are double curved, but made of straight lines. This makes them favorite for architects, as it is easy to form them with straight structural lines, formwork, etc. In our particular case it is the main deformation the corner panels are absorbing.
1st Mockup: a fully developable surface. Unlike the previous example, this surface has a continuous curvature, it is actually a cylinder patch.
The whole surface designed, made of its standard glass rectangles.
The underlying structural layout, fresh out of the 5 axis milling arm, ready to be assembled.
Median connections. Each structural member is made of three wood panels cut and assembled together.
The Standard Glass panels 1x2m with their aluminum frame.
Assembly process in progress in EPFL's garden...
One of these median overlapping joins. Precision is key: there isn't even half a mm room between them. They interlock perfectly.
Assembly process in progress in EPFL's garden...
While the wood structure is ready, paneling starts.
Once the panels have been properly assembled, surface continuity can be observed through the surrounding building reflections.
The Glass Pond executed. It stayed there a couple of years, in perfect shape, before being dismantled.
Credits
Paul Ehret
Teacher
Philipp Eversmann
Teacher
Students