Stick Formed Wall

Residential wall construction has changed very little over the last 100 years. Light frame construction with wood is flexible, adaptable, cheap, relatively disposable, and requires very little skill to assemble. It is a dominant system for a reason and a difficult system to influence.  We believe the introduction of  “Zippered Wood” to the stick framing approach could shift this deeply entrenched construction method, making it more responsive and resource responsible. Stick Formed Wall is a test of that assumption. Our prototype replaces the base-plate of a traditional stud wall with a curved zippered member. That single modification transforms a planar assembly into a hyperbolic paraboloid. While seemingly minor as a local modification, the test points to more dramatic formal opportunities.

Collaborators: Alex Preiss, Derek Mavis, Graham Entwistle (HiLo Lab),

This project is a collaboration between HouMinn, the HiLo Lab, and LoDo Lab.