FABRICARTE

 2018

Research Project: Structural Crafts Research

Location: Valencia, Spain

Collaborations: ASCER, Light Earth Design

Area: 20 m2

FabricArte is a three-vault pavilion in the central hallway of the Valencia Expo. The project is curated by the organisations Tile of Spain (ASCER) and the Instituto de Tecnología Cerámica  (ITC) to push the boundaries of the use of ceramic as a material and an architectural element. Due to Expo regulations, the time frame to build on-site is very narrow. The designers developed a way to build the vaults in a workshop and then slice and transfer them to the site to be reassembled. The geometrical configuration with which the three vaults were sliced is inspired by gothic vaulting, commonly seen in the historic buildings of Valencia. In rib and rib-less gothic vaults, modular units mirror, repeat, and array to compose the main structure—a concept that inspired the design to optimize labor and time. As a result, the vault manufacturing was systemized for a rapid in-situ construction, but it also avoided using heavy machinery, and the process remained handmade.