RECIPROCAL FIRST YEAR:

By Matthew Pembery

Starting at Bath, the first studio work was the joint project between Civil Engineers and Architects to design a structure which incorporated a cantilever around the theme of ‘Reciprocal’. The cantilever also had to support a three kilogram weight. Our palette of materials included canvas, timber, OSB and rope, each of which could only have a limited number of cuts. The project was a great introduction to designing in groups, which overall was an enjoyable process. The designs of four different groups are shown below.

A reciprocal action or arrangement involves two people or groups of people who behave in the same way or agree to help each other and give each other advantages.

Our design philosophy focused around the idea of two mutual parts acting against each other, to balance out and counteract each other. To embody the theme of reciprocal, we felt that repeating units of the same or similar shapes, elegantly designed to work together, would lead to a strong design. We developed the design significantly through group discussions and tutorials. For the final design, we kept the reciprocal support strings and balsa struts as this was a very effective and elegant combination.

In our project, the theme of reciprocal is expressed through the modular nature of the assembly. Triangles are repeated in a variety of materials. As the form reduces in perceived mass as height increases, an organically shaped cantilever forms, supported by tensile forces in the rope used.

Our design incorporates a large cantilever with reciprocating triangles repeated throughout, formed through a range of materials. All the elements work with each other to provide stability to the structure, with the rope element being especially important. We can take a lot from the process to incorporate into future group work situations and design projects. It was a really enjoyable and rewarding start to studying architecture at Bath.

Our cantilever reflects reciprocal through the repetition of geometric shapes and patterns.

By Francesca Beltrame