Soft Rock Studio was an Summer 2020 graduate design-build studio exploring the use of regional, natural materials in processes of construction based on or utilizing concrete construction methods. The course was developed in collaboration with the Deanery Project and the Canadian Precast / Prestressed Construction Institute (CPCI); and Dalhousie Process Engineering PhD candidate, Aaron Outhwaitte and included presentations by Royal Astronomy Member, Dave Chapman.
The following images show:
1. Material Kits prepared by the instructor and research assistants and distributed to students for at-home material experiments.
2. Material Recipes prepared by the instructor and RAs for student use at home. Recipes adapted from materiom.org
3. Site and Program documentation developed by students at the outset of the term.
4. Material Experiments executed by the students to familiarize them with the materials and invent new construction methods.
5. Student Projects developed by 3 groups of three to four students
Research Assistants: M. Arch. 2021 candidates Alexander Crosby, Andrew Gilmour
Students: M.Arch. 2022 candidates Sara Bajelan, Esther Fu, George Grant, Larissa Korol, Brittany Letwin, Kevin Mockford, Laure Nolte, Branden Schick, Rita Wang, Brayden Wesley
The design-build workshop introduced students to a unique form of catenary construction: form-finding through suspending string from a pre-fabricated peg-bard. The string, once positioned, is then coated in a cementitious matrix, hardening into a shape-relaxed form. The experiments are calibrated to a physics engine simulator using augmented reality (AR) headsets.
The workshop was divided into three groups of four students each. Each group had a physical rig to build from and an AR headset to work with. Groups worked initially off the p[provided grasshopper definition. But with the help of instructors evolved those definitions to design goals of their own choosing.
Physics simulation: Kangaroo
AR Grasshopper integration: Fologram
Course support from Canadian Precast / Prestressed Concrete Institute (CPCI)
Teaching and Research Assistants: M.Arch. 2019 candidates Makenzie Ramadan and Sebastien Sarrazin, MITACS Globalink interns Felipe Guimaraes and Aswin Ak
Students: M.Arch. 2021 candidates Bea Casiano, Andrew Gilmour, Shane Hauser, Holden Korbin, Christina Lawen, Isioma Mafiana, and Sarah Reid; BEDS 2020 candidates Sara Bajelan, Myles Burry, Matt Card , Clair Fromme, Ali Leiva, and Tai NguyenHa