Fractured Bubble
Henry Grosman, Babak Bryan
The sukkah is a bubble: ephemeral and transient. It separates inside from outside with a thin, permeable membrane. Outside is the world of everyday life. Inside one gathers with loved ones. Together you look out to the world to find it fresh again, transformed.
This sukkah is a bubble made of simple materials: plywood, marsh grass and twine. Its form is a sphere fractured into three sections. Each section rotated around a common datum. The structural grid and the rotation are all controlled parametrically.
Because of the spherical geometry, each of the sections is both wall and roof simultaneously. To make this kosher we provide three sections (like walls) and we cover them with s’chach (like roofs). The visitor enters through the fractures.
The s’chach is made of phragmites, an invasive species that has taken over our wetlands. It grows fast and tall, and it is readily available for free. The phragmites attach loosely to the sukkah through randomly scattered holes in the ribs. They follow the curvature of the sections to create a crosshatched affect which provides shade from the sun. The density is calibrated such that one can still see stars at night.
The circles and the twine infill the surface of the sukkah. The twine creates another layer of crosshatch and the circles create the holes in the bubble. The parametric control of the structure allows the holes to frame selected views from any given site, to tailor the experience of looking out through the bubble.
This sukkah is a bubble made of simple materials: plywood, marsh grass and twine. Its form is a sphere fractured into three sections. Each section rotated around a common datum. The structural grid and the rotation are all controlled parametrically.
Because of the spherical geometry, each of the sections is both wall and roof simultaneously. To make this kosher we provide three sections (like walls) and we cover them with s’chach (like roofs). The visitor enters through the fractures.
The s’chach is made of phragmites, an invasive species that has taken over our wetlands. It grows fast and tall, and it is readily available for free. The phragmites attach loosely to the sukkah through randomly scattered holes in the ribs. They follow the curvature of the sections to create a crosshatched affect which provides shade from the sun. The density is calibrated such that one can still see stars at night.
The circles and the twine infill the surface of the sukkah. The twine creates another layer of crosshatch and the circles create the holes in the bubble. The parametric control of the structure allows the holes to frame selected views from any given site, to tailor the experience of looking out through the bubble.
