The first year of the Bachelor’s degree program of the Department of Interior Architecture of the Estonian Academy of Arts designed and built 12 plywood connectors in the autumn semester of 2016. What is a “connector” that can create a bridge or create a bridge? A connector is an object that creates a physical dialogue between two previously unconnected objects: whether the result is a bridge from Pika Jala to the green area of Toompea, a staircase from the Linnahalli observation deck to the roof, or instead connecting the Rotermann quarter to the sea, the Kohtuotsa observation deck to Niguliste, or the yard of an apartment without a balcony.
The task of the course was to identify a problem and create a solution to it using digital production capabilities. During the course, constructive (e.g. subsidence) and plate material-specific (direction) problems were solved. At the midterm review, the students presented models produced by hand or built with a laser in a scale of 1:10/1:20, etc. In the second half of the course, the possibility of 1:1 scale production was solved by modeling the sheds in a computer program (Rhinoceros 5) and producing milling files from them, which were cut out as elements by the course sponsor, Plywood World. The maximum amount of material per student was 16 mm plywood with dimensions of 1×3 meters, which set limits for the most optimal placement of the elements, as well as for creating a complete solution. Of particular importance was the aspect that the students did not use metal connections to attach the elements, rather the goal was to find possibilities and methods of fastening arising from construction techniques. All works were presented in the urban space.
The undertaking was born in cooperation with Plywood World experts, who acted as consultants to the course and participated in the mid-term review to assess both the concepts and structures, as well as the hazards arising from the material.
Supervisors: Sille Pihlak, Aulo Padar
Students: Interior Architecture Department 1st year
Photos: Tõnu Tunnel