‘Shell Star’ for Detour 2012: Prototyping Public Space by
Andrew Kudless (Matsys)  +Riyad Joucka (HKU)
Hong Kong
2012

The Shell Star Pavilion is designed to provide an exciting shelter for participants during the Detour 2012 festival. The pavilion’s star shape references both the nearby sea and the 5-petal flower of the bauhinia blakeana orchid tree, the iconic symbol featured on Hong Kong’s flag. The design seeks to create an innovative, dynamic, and iconic temporary structure for use during the 2-week festival. The pavilion is designed using cutting edge digital modeling, simulation, and fabrication tools. Based on the concept of a purely compressive structure developed by architects and engineers such as Antonio Guadi, Frei Otto, and Felix Candela, the Shell Star Pavilion can be made from a minimum of thin material while covering a large area. The pavilion is the product of an emergent process that combines form, material, and performance into one integrated whole.

Computation

Analysis

Displacement/Stress simulation on Karamba GH3D by David Shook, PE, LEED AP Associate (SOM)

​Construction

Construction sequence plan.

First stages of on-site construction: Assembling the Shell Star sections.

Post-Analysis

Fabrication: Ricci Wong (ArtLab HK)
Photography: Dennis Lo
Engineering: SOM.
TopCon HK using Farro3D
Materials: Polypropylene corrugated plastic sheets and zip-ties.
3D Scan using Faro 3D Scanner by TopconHK
No. of Points : 170 Million
No. of Set-ups : 10
Scanner : FARO FOCUS3D
Scanning Time : 1.5 hrs
Data Processing : ~15 minutes
Avg. Pt. Spacing : ~5 mm

Shell Star 3D Scan Analysis from Riyad Joucka on Vimeo.