Asymmetrical vaults,
courtyard buildings

This was a proposal for the courtyard group of buildings, where the double-sided screens are situated. It was based on the idea that a catenary can be lopsided. It can have springpoints at different heights, giving it an asymmetrical catenary curve. The catenary was modelled in Rhino and Grasshopper.

A hanging chain finds its own curve. Fix its two ends at the same height and the curve it takes is symmetrical. Raise one end and it is not — but it is still a catenary, and inverted it still stands in pure compression. The constraint that a vault must be symmetrical is a habit of drawing, not a property of the structure.

The consequence is spatial. The vaults can spring from a low wall on one side and a high one on the other, so the section leans across the courtyard rather than sitting square to it, and the roofline moves against the gables of the existing farmstead instead of echoing them.

The double-sided screens shown here are the same as the barn screens at Buffelsdrift. The idea was first introduced in this courtyard proposal and survived through to construction, realised when the courtyard barns were built — documented on the main Buffelsdrift project page.