For novices, however, crafting this kind of joinery can be hard to pull off, whether you’re putting together a table or a much, much larger structure. So when companies produce kits that make assembly with wedge joints a snap, it’s always notable — especially when the resulting structures look this cool.

The HexBox Canopy is a modular system of prefabricated hexagon-shaped boxes made of laminated veneer lumber (LVL) plates that join together into beautiful undulating pavilions. The components all have slightly different shapes and sizes, coming together sort of like a puzzle to form rounded shapes. That makes it possible to build arched spatial structures like vaults and domes without the use of concrete or vertical supports. Plus, it eliminates some of the trickier parts of building vaults and domes the conventional way, like the use of formwork.

HexBox aims to rethink that building process altogether, taking advantage of the innate strength of newer forms of engineered timber. Since drawing, calculating, and cutting the components by hand would be far too complicated, each structure starts with computational design and digital fabrication techniques, both of which serve to automatically plot out the shapes and sizes of the elements, which are in turn robotically cut in a workshop.

The thin plates of the plywood boxes themselves are still glued together, but to connect each modular element to the next, the wedge joints come into play.

The designers explain that “due to their angular wedges, such joints allow you to compensate for certain tolerances that are intrinsic to the naturally grown material wood. These novel joints can be produced from waste material such as the smaller offcuts from the box component fabrication. Rather than attempting ultra-precisely fabricated elements, the wedges allow you to assemble boxes even when there are small imprecisions. Additionally, these joints allow for pulling and forcing the boxes together [and] closing gaps between the elements which may occur during assembly, similar to metal screw connectors. The closing of such gaps is critical for the overall precision and performance of the structure.”

A prototype called the HexBox Pavilion DTC was created in Darlington, Australia as a collaboration between researchers and students from the University of Kaiserslautern and the University of Sydney to show what this modular system can do. As you can see in close-ups of the individual modules, the wedge joints result in a beautifully clean and simple appearance, with the overall structure resembling honeycomb. Featuring 1531 timber segments making up 201 boxes, the all-plywood pavilion is used to shelter students from the sun and rain.

The success of this HexBox Canopy could pave the way for more architecture to be designed and built in a similar way. And it’s definitely cool to imagine it becoming more accessible to the average consumer: let’s say you could go to a website, design your structure with a digital tool, and have your custom prefabricated modules delivered straight to your door for assembly. Then, we could see a lot more organically shaped architecture popping up in unexpected places.

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The project was commissioned by the Diocese of London, who called for a church and community building that would be able to accommodate various functions like social gatherings, yoga classes, parent and child groups, exhibitions, musical performances, art classes, and literary workshops. The winning proposal was developed by the local design firm Denizen Works in collaboration with boat-building company Turks and conceives of the brief in the form of a church atop a barge, enabling the entire structure to float along the canals and moor at regeneration sites that have already been specified by the diocese. They hope to erect more permanent congregations at these sites once the floating church is unable to accommodate more parishioners.

The boat’s unusual shape is inspired by both church organ bellows and the expandable roofs of camper vans. The translucent structure will consist of a durable hull and a collapsible rear made from sail material. Denizen Works explains, “the concept was developed to provide a dramatic and transformative space within the confines of a barge designed to traverse the London canal network. During its nomadic existence, the boat will alternate between two distinct characters. When navigating the waterways, the boat will be compact and low-lying so as to pass beneath bridges. When moored, the boat will bloom into an illuminated beacon with its sculptural pop-out roof canopies. The largest canopy will provide a dramatic internal space for worship through to arts and cultural events.”

London’s canals are often thought of as idyllic places with a quintessentially British character, and in recent years, especially in East London, the canal boats and barges that line them have been becoming increasingly coveted as living spaces and homes. The concept of putting a church on a canal boat is no doubt tapping into this new idea of canal boats as trendy, and with the proliferation of these types of dwellings on social media, the winning design seems to have been a wise choice on the part of the Diocese of London. Barges and canal boats are also steeped in British history and have appeared again and again in popular culture, so this barge’s association with the church could possibly cause the public to form positive psychological connections between the two. The church is set to be completed in December 2018, and it should be up and running as soon as the following year.

Denizen Works architect Andrew Ingram says “As architects, it’s been fascinating to engage with a different strand of the construction industry. We have designed a boat which we think will become a landmark on the London canal and provide its users with a unique and inspiring space.”

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Held over the course of three days in Berlin, the festival hosted a jury made up of James Timberlake of KieranTimberlake, OMA partner Ellen van Loon, WOHA founder Mun Summ Wong, Ian Ritchie of Ian Ritchie Architects, and Christoph Ingenhoven of Ingenhoven Architects. Together, they chose the Sydney Fish Markets scheme from a shortlist of 13 category winners, which were themselves chosen over the first two days of the festival. The winner was announced on the final day.

The winning project was designed by Australian firms Allen Jack+Cottier and NH Architecture (who are based in Sydney and Melbourne, respectively) and proposes replacing the existing “dangerous, odorous, and dilapidated” markets in Pyrmont with modern structures under a mirrored, undulating canopy, which itself would cover an entire boardwalk in the markets’ new location of Blackwattle Bay. The Pyrmont site would then be transformed into a mixed-use development — one that would be completely reinvigorated with a civic character and encourage frequent public usage.

“Our approach for the reference scheme recasts the whole idea as not a building in Blackwattle Bay, but rather a large publicly occupied wharf with a filigree canopy floating over it that happens to have a market in it,” said Michael Heenan of AJ+C. The architects were adamant that the resultant project should not be thought of as a building, but rather as a promenade and an extension of Wentworth Park.

According to the jury, the proposal by AJ+C and NH Architecture was the obvious choice because of the way it interpreted and challenged the original brief. They explain: “The jury took the view that in this category we must award the project that opens up the greatest transformation of the future in all its forms. It addresses matters of real life, visceral life, food, and transport. The architects executed their role in an exemplary and inspiring fashion.”

While the Australian firms won the award, they will unfortunately not be realizing its construction. Instead, that task will be overseen by the Danish firm 3XN Architects. 3XN will lead a design team that includes GXN heading up sustainability, BVN from Sydney as Executive Architect, landscape architects Aspect Studios, and public art specialists WallnerWeiss. The project is an intelligent solution to the question of dockland regeneration, which too often ends up competing with the existing industrial infrastructure by creating residential and commercial typologies that don’t fit in with the urban character of the surrounding area. Creating a free-flowing public space with commercial amenities allows this pier to be interpreted and used in a more flexible manner by the local population.

The post Future Project of the Year: Sydney Fish Markets Design Honored at World Architecture Festival first appeared on Dornob.

There is something primal about our reaction to a house-shaped structure – that outline we are familiar with from the day we start drawing our homes with crayons as children. This minimalist bed canopy design takes this distilled typology and applies it to the place we desire to feel most at peace and at home – our beds.

Designed by Nathan Yong, the Casetta is simply white-painted wood with no frills or complex details, made up of uniformly-thick support elements throughout. There’s very little to it, yet the design is so pleasing because it speaks to our psychology and what makes us feel safe.

“I was inspired by my house when I was a little kid,” says the designer. “I stay in a wooden house like a cabin and me and my siblings would even climb onto the roof top to explore our environment. By having a bed that look like an archetype house within a room, it blurred our concept of indoor and outdoor and suggest our curiousness and exploration of our environment.”

Intentionally unmatched side tables of rough wooden trunks add a bit of texture and color but keeps things likewise simple. The focus remains on the archetypal gabled house shape and its protective, sheltering qualities. Those qualities still feel present in the minimalist design, despite the fact that it’s so open to the room. Just add curtains and draw them around the frame as desired to intensify the sheltered feeling of the design.

“Casetta in Canada is a four-poster bed for Nathan Jong Mogg, solid wood structure of lacquered white ash. Casetta in Canada is a bed flavor playful and fun, reminiscent in its structure the shape of the house drawn by children. The designer is able to create a space of comfort that take refuge and sleep comfortably. Absolutely capable of being the protagonist of your bedroom.”

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When it comes to our subjective experience of spaces, perception can change everything. Once you know you are walking in a room or on a deck lofted over empty space, you start to feel closer to the forest canopy above … and further from the sloping-away ground below.

Three distinct pavilions are connected internally to form a single whole scaled to human occupation, not seeking to exist as a large mass amidst more slender natural growth.

Approaching the home, one is given a clear view of its relationship with the site before even entering. The dual effect of such an experience can be a combination of exhilaration at the elevation and comfort born from a sense of removal and distance.

Inside, a sense of openness admits structural supports and overhanging shelters mimics the canopy of trees as well, providing another connection to nature. This building by MMP Architects further uses various passive strategies to help it place nice with its environment, beyond just the look and feel.

“The building ‘floats’ on a galvanized steel support structure, which carries through from the ground to the roof ensuring minimum site disturbance, low maintenance and structural integrity. Retention of most of the existing forest, combined with subdued colors has resulted in a building which is virtually invisible from the city below. However, views of the city exist through ‘windows’ in the forest.”

“Three pavilions separated by breezeways form the single level of the home suspended above the natural slope. The central living pavilion opens to the forest outlook and through a full glass wall, and also connects seamlessly to the outdoor living breezeway. Outdoor dining overlooks the slightly lower lounge ‘treehouse‘ which rests under a large canopy roof and is open on all sides. The main bedroom and ensuite pavilion is accessed across this breezeway and features framed views of the adjoining rock face which becomes a wet season cascade.”

The post Three-Piece Treehouse Rises From Forest first appeared on Dornob.

It should be said first: the design of this – even without the quirky built-in television concept – is itself sigh-worthy for fans of contemporary curves, light-weight materials, or just minimalist white beds … but are still curious about adding a canopy for privacy, aesthetic or functional reasons.

A length of white fabric is stretched between bendable side supports, providing a balance of flexibility and stability for the canopy frame and cover material. The entire piece can also be taken apart for washing, or re-purposed as a privacy screen or interior room divider in the bedroom or otherwise. In many ways, this concept is both more practical/efficient but also more engaging than traditional canopies that rely on excessive decoration to make a statement.

And now for the TV. Yes, you can project your favorite shows up on the surface of the material of the canopy as well, but be warned: if you have trouble sleeping, a high-tech hybrid bed plus built-in television might just keep up you later than you want. Kris Van den Berghe created this as a graduate school design thesis project, however, so it is safe to say he was probably not getting much sleep anyway at the time of its creation!

The post Double Feature: Curved Bed Canopy, Built-In Projection TV first appeared on Dornob.