Lathan and I have been working on The (insert project name) is a hammock that can unfold and extend between the school's columns while being able to fold up out of the way. Our goal was to provide more lounge space for students outside while collapsing into an art piece.

From the beginning When we were introduced to tensile structures, Lathan and I instantly knew that we wanted to work on some type of hammock. Our ideas varied from a two-post portable hammock to what we have now: a foldable hammock. Our inspiration was drawn from both of our wants desire to relax and be one connect with nature while we work on our schoolwork. This was the start of the  The building processes throughout this project were not without hardships.

At first, we wanted to make something that could fold completely and be able to fit into a bag. Our main goal was to create something comfortable and collapsible. My meeting with Andrew, a NuVu from Cambridge, was the bridge between our imagination and what we could make possible. Nice! If it weren’t for that meeting we would have gone in an entirely different direction. Our next step was to change our game plan and brainstorm some improvements.

We then decided to switch gears and make something that is fixed to a post, yet is moveable portable and able to extend. We took advantage of these new ideas and jumped right into developing a model but . We then ran into some difficulties while building. Our materials were a little limited in possibility. We could only use a specific number and type of hinge which was problematic when one of them was broken. Instead of talking about the broken hinge I would focus this section on explaining the change in your design that allowed it to open on both sides/ We had to improvise and see what we could get done in time. Now we hope to focus only on the future of our model and what we can improve. We want to make sure it is functional and able to portray our original idea.

Solid rough draft. Two things- tell us more about the tensile membrane. How did you arrive at its design? What might you change about it if you had more time?

The Front Lawn Canopy is a deployable structure designed for students to use on the front lawn when waiting for their parents to pick them up. This would eliminate the traffic jams that are created by students not being close enough to the street to see their cars arrive.

Why would students wait for their ride far away and out of sight of their car when they can be ready to leave when their car arrives. This would not only eliminate the traffic jams but also increase the rate at which people can leave and go home. 

The first idea that we had was a basic structure thus the name The Fruit Stand Model. The Fruit Stand Model was created to allow us to have a multipurpose permanent structure. The idea was that we would have a structure that would rely solely on the hill.

Our new model named the A-Frame model is a structure built off of an A-Frame wouldn't be a permanent model but would instead be a more deployable structure. The idea that would bring in the tensile membrane was that the shade and seat would be a tension membrane. At the top of the structure would be a Hypar that would create enough cover to get into the car or at least on to the sidewalk.

Project created by Interboro Partners. From the design firm:

"The Young Architects Program invites architects to create a temporary environment for the celebrated Warm Up music series. The canopy was constructed by stringing ropes from holes in MoMA PS1’s 16-foot tall concrete wall to the parapet across the courtyard. Just as Hugh Ferris revealed the potential of New York City’s 1916 zoning code by drawing the theoretical building envelope, we revealed the very odd, idiosyncratic space of the courtyard and created an inexpensive and column-free space for the activity below. From the ground, the experience was of a soaring, hyperboloid surface."

Project by Shigeru Ban and Jean de Gastines

In this course, students will learn engineering and mechanical design principles through the construction of tensile pavilions. These membrane structures will be stretched or woven together to provide comfortable shade for students on the school’s lawn.

Throughout the semester, student build teams will work on small-scale pavilion models. These iterations will include physical prototypes as well as digital simulations and 3D algorithmic models. Although there will be digital modelling, the studio will not involve electronics until the spring semester. All physical elements will be made analog. The work will culminate in 1:1 scale physical models that can be enjoyed by students and teachers on the school campus.

http://digitalstructures.mit.edu/#intro