RhinoVAULT Workshop in Innsbruck

Invited by Günther H. Filz and Rupert W. Maleczek, the Block Research Group will give a workshop at koge, University of Innsbruck, Austria, as part of the Ringvorlesung 2012. Prof. Philippe Block, Matthias Rippmann and myself will lead a design workshop using RhinoVAULT, a plug-in for Rhino, that allows for the intuitive design of compression-only shapes, offering a maximum control of the geometry.

Building the Bubble - Architecture and Financial Crisis

Since a few days a report by Barclays Capital that points out correlation between skyscraper boom and economic crisis is topic of international news, e.g. BBC and BI. Economist Andrew Lawrence suggested in 1999 the Skyscraper Index, as predictor of economic crisis.



The relation between skyscraper building and finance has earlier been discussed earlier in the great book Form Follows Finance by Caroll Willis.



Furthermore, I found an interesting figure related to this topic on page 94 in Alex Lehnerer’s Book Grand Urban Rules, showing the relation between industrial production and building height limitations in Chicago.

Cooperation: The Engineer and the Architect

This book, edited by Aita Flury, describes recent developments in the relation between architect and engineer in the design process, with focus on Switzerland and Germany. With contributions by Markus Peter, Adolf Krischanitz, Jürg Conzett, Mike Schlaich, Jospeh Schwartz and many others.

"This book provides a thorough description of just how varied and complex, how stressful and yet inspiring the cooperation between architect and engineer can be, and which projects become possible only through a cooperation of these two professions. [..] As such, it provides architects and students with the tools for future cooperation" (Birkhäuser.ch)


A snapshot of the realted panel discussion at the DAZ, on page 212/213.

Watch lectures by Fritz Neumeyer, Stefan Polónyi, Yves Weinand, Joseph Schwartz, and others, from the related symposium at the ETH Zurich online here.

Watch Prof. Block’s Lecture Online

Prof. Block, founder of the BLOCK Research Group, has been invited on October 31, 2011 for his first departmental lecture at the College of Design, University of Minnesota, USA. Invited for the lecture series “Global Practices in Architecture”, he talked about “New Masonry Vaults: Learning from the old master builders to design a better future”.

Modelling Funicular Structures

Funicular structures are structures whose geometry is based on the funicular polygon, a term from graphic statics. Such structures work mainly with axial forces, almost without bending. Typical examples are arches and cables.

At the IABSE-IASS Symposium 2011 in London, I presented novel parametric tools for structural design in early stages. These have been developed at the Chair for Structural Design, ETH Zurich. Download the paper here.


Based on concepts of graphic statics, custom Grasshopper components have been implemented that allow for the interactive modelling of a planar funicular polygon in Rhino. Straight lines are interpreted as external forces, axial forces in the funicular are represented by tubes, red tubes are in tension, blue tubes are in compression. The tube section is proportional to the magnitude of the axial force.


These tools facilitate intuitive modelling of funicular, hence efficient, structural systems.

3D Printed Stone Vault

At the Design Modelling Symposium in Berlin, a 3d printed vault prototype, designed by Norbert Palz and Ricardo Gomes, has been exibited.


The vaulted structure has been additively fabricated using the d-shape techology, it is 3d printed from an artificial sandstone.


The prototype has been designed using RhinoVAULT.

Padua Pavilion at ETH

Yesterday evening, on the ETH Zurich campus, the Padua Pavilion has been opened. It is a structure made of recycled timber, developed and built in two weeks by students of the studio Tom Emerson.


Structural consultancy and live music by Marcel Aubert.