Folium Design+Build

May 2021-August 2021

UBC SALA Design+Build

Instructor: Greg Johnson & Annalisa Meyboom

Client: Blueridge Chamber Music Group

Commissioned by the Blueridge Chamber Music Group, the brief for this Design+Build project was to construct a portable amphitheater that can be transported and played in different public parks. The challenge of this project was to design a structure that could not only naturally amplify the musicians in an open park but also and be easily disassembled for transport.

The final design includes five curved wooden shells built atop a steel trailer. The two outermost shells pivot around a steel frame to extend their reach and resonance beyond the stage. I worked closely with a team of 15 students over three months refining the design, sourcing materials, managing construction, and ensuring the project was completed on time.

The design process was an interative one, as we worked through and combine different ideas within the group. Construction of each shell first began with assembling a skeleton system of structural LVL ribs cut by the Kuka robotic arm. The structure of each shell was then clad with overlapping plywood panels that were manually bent and fastened to match the shell’s curvature. The exact shape of the final design was dictated through sound reflectance simulations compelted in Grasshopper 3D. Once the shells were cladded, they were lifted onto and secured to the railer bed. A steel frame was also installed to support the two rotating fins and provide structural stability.