The Cocoon Method: A Physical Modelling Tool for Designing Tensegrity Systems

Abstract

Although the invention of Tensegrities dates back to the beginning of the twentieth century, applications of this structural form are scarce, due to the lack of analytical and practical tools required for the design and prediction of their performance. The Cocoon Method, presented in this paper, is a practical physical-modelling tool for designing tensegrity systems, which can easily be used by designers having a non-mathematical background in the creative formfinding of tensegrities. This tool is introduced through its application in three case studies and reports on a workshop that asked undergraduate architecture students at the University of Sheffield, UK, to test it and answer a brief questionnaire.