GATEWAY PROJECT:
TECTONIC ELEMENTS SECTION C.2.
The core construction element is a detail which is repeated (with dimensional variation) across our design.
For our design, flexible timber structures with the joinery, structure, aesthetics and functionality are created all from one modular strip that is repeated and connected to each other in a staggered fashion. No additional elements are required: the simplicity and all-encompassing nature of the design means that it is straightforward to fabricate from the cutting of parts at the beginning to the final construction on-site. The lightweight and modular nature of the material makes transportation easier and therefore would lower the overall cost of construction.
Our core construction element is an interlocking joint system on one side of each modular strip which slots within the cuts of the adjacent strip.
Figure 16 (far left): The flexibility of our timber strips, and which directions they can bend in.
Our proposal is also highly adaptable to its site topography in that it doesn’t necessarily require a particular surface to build upon, making it an ideal form to be moved around easily to different areas of the highway if the community desires. As the design is connected to the site at arbitrary points located near the ends of the structure, it leaves the middle area to be completely free, giving it the ability to be changed over time by the wind. No excavation is required to locate our project.
Figures 17 + 18 (middle and far right): How our strips interlock to each other.