A-Chord Folding Structure

The A-Chord folding structure was developed and constructed for the World Wood Day 2015 event in İstanbul. The structure had fifty wooden struts of 4 cm X 4cm with changing heights from 200 cm to 230 cm. Two struts joined with a hinge enabled the folding motion of the structure. Thus, the nearby unit is folding in the opposite direction. The Grasshopper model generated all construction details and drawings automatically. As a result, these data enabled the revisions needed for structural experiments.

In the beginning, we studied physical models to develop the idea. We presented that study here. Then, the Grasshopper definitions we studied here were the preliminary exercise for the parametric model. It was urban furniture and a screen suitable for several functions. Therefore, it was an easily foldable, lightweight, and flexible design system. Below is the short story of its birth:

The first models were made from foamboard, needle, and thread.

Then Grasshopper model generated many variations in real-time.

After the final decisions, we went to a woodshop to build it.

Then, it was time to start up with our carpenter Özkan,

The first footsteps…

It is ready to go now.

Getting out of the wood shop’s window into the truck and on the way to the exhibition site.

The next day was a great Wood festival. Luckily, everything went very well, the cables worked as expected. Some emergent functions out of our intentions arouse immediately. For the cats, as a selfie background, and especially as a picture frame for lovers who shoot each other from both ends.

The A-Chord folding structure stayed at the entrance of İstanbul Bilgi Universiy Faculty of Architecture for several years. Then, the fabrication lab. recycled it for future projects.