Spectral Grove
Spectral Groves lives as a permanent part of Drexel's campus at the intersection of Market and 34th St in downtown Philadelphia. Its complex patchwork forms a canopy under which the public can pass through or gather. Its construction is created from a series of rotating colored archways that intersect at the canopy level to form a freestanding structure. These simple forms combine to create a color and complex patchwork in which thousands of unique joints are required to hold the structure together.
Client : Softlab
Scope : Computational Design + Construction
Date : 2018
Location : Philadelphia, PA
Construction Details
This is an overview of the canopy showing the 1000 or so joints that had to be created through a unique design and fabrication process. This process is started first through an algorithmic model which was then developed to automate the creation of shop drawings.
A workflow was set up to automate the creation and labelling of each part. The curve rim pieces also had to be automated and were made through bump forming on a cnc brake press.
