Deployable flat arches as from the heptagon geometry.

This video describes a design methodology for the configuration of deployable flat arches composed of straight bars scissors modules.
The strategy based on the geometry of regular polygons explores the configuration of the heptagon to define the constructive characteristics of the bars, as the length, quantity and position of the articulation points to obtain the specific curvature. In order to prove the proposed method and analyze its constructive viability, a modular pavilion was designed and built in the Pontifical Catholic University of Minas Gerais, Brazil.

The ephemeral structure made of wood occupies an area of 15 m² and is composed of four deployable arches that make up a barrel vault. For its construction, the pieces were previously assembled and raised in an afternoon with the participation of architectural students, allowing them to learn in practice the different fabrication processes, assembly and real behavior of this kind of structure. The aim of this work is to present the geometric method of regular polygons as an alternative of design directed towards the construction of spatial deployable structures.

The research’s development is supported by the possibilities offered by these systems as modularity, production’s time optimization, easy assembly e and reuse of the structure.

Natalia TORRES
Hugo DE MATOS
Ramon SASTRE
Xavier GIMFERRER
SMiA. Structural Morphology in Architecture