"Though boxes can be folded to shape a form, the essence of the form is in the void within it.”

There Is More to Void Than Meets the Eye

Experiencing architecture is multi-sensory; it is as much about “feeling” as it is about “seeing”. While we cannot dispute the substance of the form is necessary, we also must admit that it is the void within the form that allows space of potentialities to manifest – even contemporary quantum physicists believe that void is constantly seething with subatomic activity.

 
One should look not only at the periphery and the content of the space, but also at the underlying nature of the space itself. Without void, form and space have no inherent meaning at all. Void is the essence of space that is always capable of being filled with activities, and imbued with feeling, meaning and memory.

My Ideal Space

My ideal space is simultaneously temporal, non site-specific, and versatile in nature. My intent is to explore the poetic potentials of void  in the development of tectonic space. The space is conceptualized by utilizing a basic parametric design process that works without the need of computer modelling software. The technique employs an origami-like folding method that stemmed from my earlier project i.e. the TetraBox lampshade, which focuses on modular assemblies of two basic geometries particularly the hexagon and pentagon modules.

The use of corrugated boxes is proposed specifically for this project. The boxes are opened up flat and folded into triangular frames. Six equilateral triangular frames are required to form one hexagon module while a pentagon module is made up of 5 non-equilateral triangular frames. Such folding technique does not require glue to fasten the modules.

The folding process is repeated with both modules being folded together to create the desired space. The modules can be easily structured to create as many design variations as possible depending on the numbers of hexagon modules and the positions where the pentagon modules are placed.

Material

Corrugated boxes; or Recycled HDPE containers, etc.

Possible Application

Art installation; Pavilion; Temporary shelter in post-disaster development; Communal buildings (schools and libraries in remote locations), etc.

There are a myriad of possibilities in which this fabrication method can be further developed into a significant contributor to green, sustainable communal building projects and social development especially in the immediate aftermath of natural disasters - providing affordable low-tech solutions to displaced communities.