FUNICULAR VAULTING

Year: 2019

Featuring a proposed redesign for the existing pavilion which occupies World’s Fair Park in Knoxville, TN, the project explores structural innovation through the design of a funicular vault pavilion. Through analog and digital form finding investigations, stress and tension forces were used to structurally optimize the design. The interplay of tension and compression enabled a unique formal quality as the aggregated ‘blocks’ stretch over the existing seating and event space. Existing structural piers from the previous design govern the territories where the structure engages the ground, allowing the existing circulation paths and use of the site to remain uncompromised.

Project Team: Kristin Pitts, Annie Phillips. Blair Bickmann, Maya Pavon