Paper

Catenary Timber: The 2022 Barry Onouye Studio

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Abstract

The annual Barry Onouye Studio in the Department of Architecture at the University of Washington investigates the intersection of architecture and structural design through hands-on exploration. In Spring 2022, the studio focused on the rising importance of structural timber as part of a larger transition to lower embodied-carbon buildings. This studio utilized a pre-determined donation of sustainably-sourced timber from local foresters as the sole material of construction. Students were challenged to collectively design and build a free-standing timber pavilion that demonstrated the structural design potential of dimension lumber, and expand the existing formal and assembled logics of timber. The studio was offered to first-year graduate Master of Architecture students, as an ‘exploration’ studio. Initial assignments fostered an appreciation for timber as a grown, natural, organic material. By researching the specific forester locations, wood species, forest climate, and distances of forest-to-mill-to-UW, students began to understand wood as both a standardized building product and natural artifact of our surrounding environment. Students then focused on the specific 2x3, 2x4, and 2x6 geometry of the donated stock (60, 8’- pieces of each), and identify guiding values of their design process. These values included the need to make the most of the material we had (minimize waste both during construction and at the end of life), while creating something exciting and interesting for our UW community. They identified three priorities: 1) Make Structurally Efficient Use of Material, 2) Create a Unique Spatial Experience, and 3) Design for Disassembly. Through a series of case study assignments and charettes, the studio arrived at a design rooted in process more than form. In the north lawn of Gould Hall at the UW, two elevated bridges span over a sunken courtyard. This courtyard would be the site of our installation, and the bridges would become the generator of our form. Students fabricated a set of ‘timber chains’ – standard sized segments of wood doweled together at each end to form a flexible chain. These chains were then hung from the elevated bridges to ‘find’ an efficient structural shape. This shape was then marked, and ‘vouissoir’ blocks of wood were cut to fit between the links. Once brought to the ground, the efficient, hanging form could be re-configured as compression arch. These arches were pinned to a platform base and stabilized by a diagonal lattice in between. At the end of life, the dowel-connected arches could be easily disassembled. The standardized pieces were then re-purposed into furniture and other small-scale artifacts, and the pavilion was distributed and dispersed throughout the community. In the end, this studio was successful in its attempt to both challenge the existing logics of timber construction, and deeply consider the material consequences of architectural design – from acquisition through dispersal.

Keywords: timber, wood, structure, structural design, studio, catenary, interdisciplinary

How to Cite:

Sprague, T. S., (2023) “Catenary Timber: The 2022 Barry Onouye Studio”, Building Technology Educators’ Society 2023(1), 28–35. doi: https://doi.org/10.7275/btes.1928