Week 1 Compression The load of a building/ force of gravity will always find it’s way to the ground through following the buildings joints. When we separated into our group to build a tower we were originally going to directly over lap each brick and building two square large bases that would then join higher up thus creating a space for the dog to fit inside our structure. However as we began to create this idea it became clear that it would be time consuming, and might not necessarily work. We were therefore prompted create gaps when overlapping the building bricks which allowed the load to find alternate ways to the ground which would therefore allow us to create openings. We decided to stick with the idea of a larger square base that would eventually narrow, as it grew taller. As we were building it the structure as it narrowed also took on a more circular shape. Overall this technique was very effective as we were able to build a structure that reached the ceiling and was still able to stand as we removed large amounts of bricks.
These pictures show the progress of the structure being built and the overlay of the bricks with slight gaps, which allows the load to find a way to the ground through a variety of paths within the structure.
Right: Finished tower Left: building process and creating doors/ windows