Darwin Bucky Ausstellungsgalerie

Press Kit

Unique Properties

Bucky is designed as a complete set of parts that can be assembled and disassembled if necessary at the site. It is a parametric dome tent anchored to the ground without a foundation. Bucky can be used as an exhibition gallery or a center for performance or a bar or a nightclub. The structure is a black box that provides a wide array of programs that could be decided by the tenant who rents by the day. It is designed to be placed in public gardens or exhibition grounds or even in a city square always permanently temporary provide the ground is flat.

Dimensions & Packaging

Diameter - 10m
Height - 6m
Material - Mild Steel
Panels - 324
Panels size - min 300mm and max 1250mm
Other components - 200
Joinery size - min 35mm - 1500mm
Number of Bolts - 2800
Technology - Machine folding and parametric modeling
Weather - all seasons

Tags

Parametric design, Origami, travelling gallery, temporary structure, Buckminster fuller, geodesic dome, modular structure, metal folding, flat pack structure, light weight structure

Production Technology

The structure is made using 1mm mild steel spanning a massive 10 meters and 6 meters in height without beams or columns. The Avant grade joinery system makes the structure leakproof and conceals more than 70 percent of the 2800 bolts which is an impossible task to achieve for a component that has naked edges on all four sides as the panels need to be collapsible. The panel size can be easily handled by one person making the assembly extremely efficient.

Design Challenge

The challenge was to construct a typology that works for off-grid areas. The criteria to fit a 10meter span and 6meter height structure into a 6meter container was a difficult task since Bucky was envisioned to be easy to carry around the globe. Adding further, making an open system into a closed system was also a major challenge which was necessary to make the building as watertight as that would ruin the artworks. The windows are designed to have indirect lighting without having rainwater through the opening to protect the painting from any harsh environmental conditions.

Research

Bucky was designed with the aim of making a travelling gallery that can be transported anywhere in the world in a 6 meter shipping container. Origami was the basic methodology used to figure out the panel folding of the building and with the help of parametric tools the fabrication was done onsite. As a result Bucky was able to be fit in a container as well as convert itself into a huge 100 square meter gallery within a matter of days.

Inspiration

Bucky is inspired by Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome. The project is envisioned to be a traveling gallery complemented by its aesthetic architecture for curators to exhibit their work anywhere in the world. One of the major inspirations was to create a gallery that it should be designed for repurposing and can be recycled or deconstructed to minimize unnecessary footprints.

Project Duration

Located in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, India. The project started in October 2019 and was made open to public in October 2021.

Operation Flow

Gallery is always perceived as a four walled box. Bucky transforms the way people experience galleries by making the building itself a part of the exhibition. People will interact the same way with the building as they interact with the exhibits inside it.

Image Credits

Vinay Panjwani, Kuhoo Patel