The "Zollinger" open classroom built at the CanCuní, is a lightweight gridshell of short handleable pieces of birch plywood for hosting open-air lectures. The system is loosely based on the traditional Zollinger system which consists of the reciprocal transfer of loads in a short beam system. Covering doubly curved surfaces with this system is possible without the need for long and thick beams and complex manufacturing joints, reducing the overall cost, time and weight of the whole structure by using stiff metal plates which is the scope of the research. The challenge is to design and calibrate a joint stiff enough to prevent the need of a cost increasing and time consuming bracing system. The whole system packs in a van and is manufactured with standard cnc and laser machinery.

The students of the master MPDA Master in Parametric Design in Architecture followed a program of continuous reviews by international experts on structural design, wood construction, computational geometry and membrane patterning. The students solved all the design, structural modelling of the joints and the structural analysis of the whole structure, the numerical fabrication and construction processes themselves. It was built at the Stage phase in June 2021 in Banyoles, Girona Spain.

Students: Jorge Adrian Martorell ,Christian Merhej, Rudy Riachy , Alberto Sadun , Marc Serra , Alex Solà, Aitor Vadillo , Luis Ángel Garcia, Khalifa Alkhazriji , Ángel Barrón, Dalia Ezzeddine, Danny Vallejo , Ehsan Naguib, Weston Porter.

International experts:

Julian Lienhard, Bending-active, STR.ucture / Universität Kassel

Dragos Naicu, timber gridhsell

Anna Bauer, Structural analysis, Kiwi!3d / TUM

Ángel Antequera, Load cases and Wind, CODA /Modularem

Alberto Pugnale, Timber construction, University Melbourne

Almudena Majano, Timber engineering, ETSAM

Antonio Lara, Timber Engineering, ETSAM

Ton Miserachs, Membrane patterning, TP Arquitectura i construcció textil