The short film "The Force of Form" presents the research, design, and execution of a unique structural solution: a bent lenticular beam made of wood, developed for lightweight industrial warehouses. The film documents the design and execution process in detail, as well as featuring testimonials from international experts in the field of timber structural engineering:
Eric Karsh — Canadian structural engineer, founder of Equilibrium Consulting and an international leader in tall timber buildings.
Evy Slabbinck — Belgian-Swiss architect-engineer, director of Design-to-Production and a leader in parametric design and bending-active structures.
Stefan Rick — Swiss engineer at SJB Kempter Fitze, a leader in large-span timber structures with complex geometric shapes.
The development of this solution, which reduces raw material consumption by approximately 50% compared to traditional systems, requires a new structural design methodology, in which the manipulation of form and rigidity becomes the primary design tool. In contrast to the conventional paradigm, in which strength is achieved by adding material, here strength derives from geometry, conceived from a parametric approach that integrates structural calculation, construction context, and architecture.
The work was presented at scientific forums of international relevance, including the World Conference on Timber Engineering, Oslo, 2023; and the International Association of Shell and Spatial Structures – IASS, ETH Zurich, 2024. (https://app.iass2024.org/files/IASS_2024_Paper_589.pdf)
The exhibition will be accompanied by a panel discussion dedicated to discussing the prospects for low-impact, large-scale structural solutions in the Latin American context, with the aim of fostering academic and professional reflection on design methodologies capable of articulating economic viability, construction efficiency, and environmental responsibility.
Architecture: aflalo/gasperini architects
Engineering: ITA Wood Engineering
Free
IABsp – Bento Freitas Street, 306 – Vila Buarque – São Paulo – SP
Registration is not required. Event subject to availability.
This work was also selected for the Biennial, being presented at the Oca with a physical model, screening of the short film and panels documenting the construction process.