The Pergola

While half the group has been playing with fabric and tensile structures for the past week, the pergola group has been steadily making progress on the other side of the courtyard designing a smaller scale shading solution for the many benches that populate the primary courtyard. Below are various ideas and investigations from early on in the process. From the beginning the group was interested in exploring willow as a primary device for shading. We were also interested in designing a shading solution that acted at the furniture scale and addressed the children's need for intimate play space.



The inspiration for willow as shading came from one of the residences currently under construction at the north of the site. The images below show the traditional roof construction using poplar beams and sticks of willow. Thatch, followed by dirt have yet to be installed; this allows light to filter through the willow.

Below are images of a living willow structure we found at the Women's Alliance in Leh.


The team split up and built physical models, digital models, and full scale mock ups. The design eventually evolved into a simple rectilinear frame that wraps the courtyard seating.


Tools used for construction:


Below are pictures of the construction and prototyping process. Additional pictures will be posted upon completion of the pergola.