Cladding
Cladding
Cladding
Cladding

Cladding

When realizing complex geometries, architectural, building technical or financial considerations sometimes lead to the application of sheet material.

An example is the Imax theatre in Bucharest, where Octatube had been invited in an early stage of the design process to join the design team. The goal was to design a perfect sphere out of sheet metal. While engineers worked on developing potential surfaces, grid optimization, and double-bending, the designers took the opportunity to further exploit the properties and boundaries of the material. The outcome of this combined research was pitched to the architect as a free-form solution, minimizing the chance of disruptive oil-canning.

For the Floriade Pavilion in 2002 three-dimensional corners have been developed for an aluminium roof, in collaboration with Karel Vollers.  An extensive process of computer modeling, testing and the development of (adjustable) moulds was necessary in order to achieve the desired accuracy of the shape. The process of producing the explosion panels with a small TNT ring was very experimental.

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