The FlexMaps Pavillion is a bending-active single-layer piecewise twisted arc, which fits a volume of 3.90x4.00x3.25 meters and allows the visitors to go through it. The point researched in this project is how to realize a complex doubly-curved 3D shape employing flat plywood panels with tailored mechanical properties. These panels, called FlexMaps, are optimized such that, once they are bent and assembled, the resulting equilibrium configuration matches a desired input 3D shape. The stiffness of the panel is controlled by spiral mesostructures, which are computationally defined in both size and shape to match the curvature of the target surface locally. As a result, various mechanical properties are obtained only by acting on geometric parameters; and the panels can be realized through CNC.
Easy fabrication, to produce a flat array of panels, and cost-saving assembly procedures are the main features of the FlexMaps Pavilion. Each panel is produced by CNC cut a flat material (plywood), and its final shape results from internal elastic forces that arise when connecting progressively the patches together. Thus, custom mechanical properties can be automatically designed without changing the material but only by acting on the geometric parameters of spirals. Differently from other structures, the assembly requires minimal amount of bending energy because of a step-by-step construction sequence that can be hand-made. Thus, the FlexMaps Pavilion represents a design-efficient and cost-effective solution and achieves an aesthetically-pleasant organic appearance.