| Summary: | © 2016 Taylor & Francis Group, London. This paper shares the authors’ experience regarding the Forces Frozen workshop developed in MIT’s Building Technology Program, within the Department of Architecture. This one-week outdoor workshop invites students to physically explore the world of structural ice shells. Ice shells are primarily created by a procedure that takes advantage of the symmetrical behavior of tension and compression, with the following steps: (1) hanging fabric sheets into the desired inverted shape, (2) spraying the fabric with water, and (3) flip the shell upside-down once they become rigid with ice. Because the initial dry fabric was stable in tension under self weight, the flipped geometry remains stable as well, but in compression. The workshop has been found to be an efficient and effective way to teach architecture and engineering students the statics and dynamics of shells in a stimulating and joyful environment.
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