This workshop was lectured at Istanbul Technical University. A collaboration between FAUP’s DFL and ITU’s ArfLab, the vault was built with stereotomic rammed earth voussoirs.
The Post-Tensioned Stereotomic Arch explores how natural stone can be reintroduced into contemporary construction through a combination of historical stereotomic principles and digital design workflows. At a time when reinforced concrete and steel remain major contributors to global carbon emissions, the project investigates compression-based structural systems that rely on low-impact materials with minimal transformation. Stone, […]
Architecture project by Pedro de Azambuja Varela A carport was in demand. The connection between the polygonal line of the garage roof and the horizontal site wall created this subtle yet obivous solution. The use of a “half-pipe” roof tile was key in this strangely shaped roof.
Architectural models are usually very good at representing space and rather bad at representing time. We can model a wall, a roof or an entire building in detail, but it is much harder to ask a simple historical question: what existed here in 1700? Historical Time is a small experimental add-on I developed for Blender. […]
In June 2020 I defended my PhD thesis entitled “Reconstruction of a Stereotomy – for a multi-semantic stereotomic approach”. The PDF document has Open Access and can be download in Universidade do Porto website here. https://sigarra.up.pt/faup/pt/NOTICIAS_GERAL.VER_NOTICIA?p_nr=69842 Abstract: Stereotomy is the classic body of knowledge which deals with stonecutting for building arch like structures. The interest […]
Architecture project by Pedro de Azambuja Varela, Maria João de Oliveira and Emmanuel Novo. Following the 2012/13 edition of the Advanced Program in Digital Architecture (CEAAD), promoted by FAUP and ISCTE-IUL, the company AMORIM Isolamentos challenged the Course to design their Pavilion for the CONCRETA 2013 Fair. The students that developed their final research on cork […]
The Faculty of Architecture of the University of Porto (FAUP) opens a call for 1 (one) Research Grant (BI), within the scope of the project “Stereotomic BIM – Exploring sustainable design and construction in structural stone” (Ref. 2023.15500.PEX), funded by FCT, I.P. – Foundation for Science and Technology, I.P. through national funds, underway at the […]
Aimed at a couple connected to the restaurant business, this project was born out of the need to reconvert a traditional flat into a different living space, where the kitchen and living room are in the same environment. Thus, following the integration of these two areas in the same space, the impetus arose to make […]
Architecture project developed by Pedro de Azambuja Varela and Renata Pinho. The redesign of this apartment had to deal with specific issues: replace the existing floor, redesign the kitchen while keeping the laundry space, and create lots of storage room; while the bathrooms and master bedroom intervention is a welcome bonus to the essential. Walls […]
This paper describes the theory and practical experiments on the development of a system for the deployment of stereotomic voussoirs. The recent availability of digital design and fabrication tools has enabled architects to embrace stereotomic thinking, allowing for the efficient spanning of spaces with low tensile capable materials such as stone. The proposed fabrication system […]
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