Coursework_California College of the Arts_MArch_Fall 2016
Instructor_Inaqui Carnicero

Learning from Peter Zumthor’s Bruder Klaus Field Chapel, where wood posts are leaned together, cast around, and burned away to create a unique phenomenological interior space, this exploration into burned formwork manipulates twine rope with similar ambitions.

Wrapping and coiling of rope performs surprisingly well in resisting the lateral forces of the concrete cast around it as it loops around itself and when done in high density, can maintain a sealed form that keeps the mix from entering the interior. This unorthodox tectonic logic of rope allows for flexible manipulation of interior spaces as the twine towers can be bent, tapered and compressed to define varying interior spaces.

Once cast, the formwork easily burns away as it’s formal nature allows air flow through the towers to maintain oxygen to the flames, and high exposure of the twine to the fire.

The final architectural product, a series of dome-like interior rooms, provides a visceral experience as the oculus above illuminates the imprinted scallops of the coiled twine on the walls in combination with the residual furry texture of fine follicles left embedded in the concrete.