PARAMETRICAL ANALYSIS AND DIGITAL FABRICATION OF THIN SHELL STRUCTURES: THE IMPACT OF CONSTRUCTION TECHNIQUE ON THE RESULTING GEOMETRY OF THE GAUSSIAN VAULTS OF ELADIO DIESTE

Abstract. The objective of this article is to analyze the state-of-art regarding the construction process of the Gaussian Vaults of the Uruguayan civil engineer Eladio Dieste and to identify the elements that underlie the relationship between the constructive techniques and procedures within this specific structural typology and its resulting geometry. As complementary objectives, this research aims for the identification of the gaps in the registry of such constructive procedures. The essay focuses on the geometry of the Gaussian Vaults designed and built by Dieste, in a way that these rigid structural surfaces' geometry had their original construction drawings redrawn and analyzed from the perspective of its construction technique by means of the Parametrical Modelling and Digital Fabrication of case studies.</p

INVESTIGATIONS ON THE DESIGN PROCESS OF ELADIO DIESTE: 3D PARAMETRIC MODELLING OF MODERN LATIN AMERICAN ARCHITECTURAL HERITAGE

Abstract. The Uruguayan Engineer Eladio Dieste underwent a quest for thinness in the field of structural design which rendered his reinforced masonry thin-shell structures at a conspicuous position in Modern Latin American Architectural Heritage, so much so as to have Dieste's work in Latin America and Europe included in an indicative list for UNESCO's cultural heritage sites as of 2010. Nonetheless, the design process that led Dieste to such innovative structural typologies is yet to be fully academically explored. Thus, the objective of this paper is to examine the state-of-art regarding the intricate design process of Eladio Dieste's gaussian vaults and shed some light on the existing gaps within this process by means of the 3D parametric modelling and digital fabrication of selected case studies. The adoption methodological procedures such as 3D parametrical modelling and digital fabrication allows for the establishment of important relationships between the design process and the resulting geometry of Eladio Dieste's designs, as well as furthering registry of Dieste's legacy for conservation purposes.</p

THE ARCHITECTURAL GEOMETRY OF THE CHURCH OF CRISTO OBRERO Y NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LOURDES

The object of study of this paper is the Church of Cristo Obrero y Nuestra Señora de Lourdes, in the city of Atlántida, Uruguay, designed and built by Uruguayan engineer Eladio Dieste between 1956 and 1960, and proclaimed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2021. Furthermore, the object of study is the outset of Eladio Dieste’s experimentations with reinforced brickwork, which resulted in innovative thin-shell structural typologies. Hence, the objective of this article is to verify the geometrical relationships within the continuous gaussian vaults of the Cristo Obrero’ roof and the ruled surfaces of its lateral walls. The proposed methodological procedures for this research were the in situ visitation of the object of study, followed by the consultation of original construction drawings, as well as the exploratory parametric modeling and polynomial regression of the architectural geometry of the Church of Cristo Obrero. Amongst the expected contributions for this research reside the dissemination of Latin-American modern architectural heritage sites within European academic journals, digital design technologies within Latin-American research centres, as well as the fostering of the comprehension of the design and construction process of the Uruguayan engineer Eladio Dieste