Client: Adam Holloway Architectsarchitect: Adam Holloway ArchitectsLocation: Hull, United Kingdom
Date: 2017-08-01 00:00:00 +0000 UTCTags: art, paper, geometry
Apeiron
Apeiron Flow by Adam Holloway Architects was a striking participant in the 2017 UK City of Culture festival in Hull.
The installation showcases the endless expressive potential of paper. Using principles inspired by nature to increase its structural stiffness, paper is crafted into an algorithmically grown, expansive and fluid sculptural form. The Architect developed a set of algorithmic rules to iteratively grow a surface and infold it. The anti-clastic stiffness created by this ruffling process allows the form to support its own weight while filling a volume of over 100 cubic meters. Format Engineers were able to work with the script and ’nudge’ the geometry such that small changes in form made a big difference to the global structure behaviour. In this way we were able to help guide the artist into developing a stable form and check the performance of the paper structure.
The sculpture is composed of laser cut sheets of 540gsm paper folded and locked into the 3d form using a novel alternating tab and slot system. The system aligns the folded components precisely, allowing the overall structure to be built up without the need for a wireframe or substructure.