ALEX DALLAS | CARET 6

CARET 6

FALL 2014

CRITIC KORY BIEG

Austin, Texas, U.S.A.
Completed

1,500 ft²

I was one of the lead designers during the studio portion of the project and the team leader during the fabrication and installation. I co-led project management, taking on internal design and structural engineering coordination through to final build.

Caret 6 is an architectural installation designed to exhibit the finalists and winners of the TEX-FAB SKIN competition. The exhibition supports graphic displays and prototype models, while standing on its own as an architecturally significant project. The structure consists of an inhabitable catenary vaulted space and an articulated ground surface that emerges from the vault to support the competition finalists. Using digital tools (Rhinoceros, Grasshopper, and Kangaroo), Caret 6 is designed parametrically to generate unique formal qualities and fit the programmatic requirements for the exhibit, while allowing for the mass customization of hundreds of unique pieces and connections, which are cut on a CNC router.

The form is a result of the study of the modularity of diamonds and their ability to aggregate within complex geometries. The diamond modules are deconstructed into two primary elements: ribs and infill surfaces. The ribs serve as the structure that support the infill surfaces, which are hinged to emphasize the pattern. The ribs are discontinuous as a result of the irregular grid that the modules aggregate within. These discontinuities necessitated collaboration with students and professors from the UT Cockrell School of Engineering to ensure the structural integrity of the installation.

PUBLISHED IN: ArchDaily (March 2014); Architectural Record Blog (March 2014); Architect’s Newspaper Blog (March 2014); Texas Architect Magazine (March/April 2014 & May/June 2014); ALPOLIC Materials (March 2014); Architecture and Culture Magazine (September 2015); ISSUU:010 (June 2014)

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