Under Pressure

Contributors

Taylor-Beth Huff (M.Arch. '28)
Colin Sutter (M.Arch. '28)

Class

ARCH 5111 Core Design Studio I: Fundamentals

Instructors

Under Pressure is a boathouse located on Cayuga Lake in Ithaca, New York. It is inspired by the inflatable kayak and its material, structural, and geometric logic. A series of material tests were performed on how to create double curvature using this inspiration, which culminated in the most complex double curvature shape of a sphere. These tests then informed the making of a large iconic canopy to house the boathouse.

The canopy is a double membrane inflatable structure that uses a heat-welded pattern to create double curvature. This canopy is informing and deriving the form of the single membrane inhabitable spaces below. Whether squeezing them or squashing them, the canopy shapes the pods into forms that accentuate its specific function. The watchtower is squeezed out of the canopy, intruding into the air for bird watching the protected Cayuga bird species. The bathrooms are squashed into two distinct zones to separate restroom facilities from locker spaces.

The ground was specifically selected for its manmade grid form that is then manipulated by the inflatables touching the grid. The larger canopy deforms the grid at a larger resolution, creating pathways and dictating the larger organization of the site. The smaller pods distort the grid at a lower resolution to create detailed moments like planters and benches.