CloudHouse

CloudHouse is a shade pavilion designed in response to the City of Cambridge’s “Resilient Cambridge” program in collaboration with the Cambridge Development Department and the Public Space Lab, which recommends an increase in shading in parks in lower income neighborhoods that have a deficit of tree canopy coverage.

These pavilions are designed and constructed using curved-crease folding, a geometric technique akin to origami that creates rigid structural surfaces out of low-cost, standard sized sheet material. The primary material is HDPE (high-density polyethylene), a recyclable UV-treated lightweight plastic. Its translucency provides shade while letting some ambient light through, creating a sheltering membrane that is both illuminated and protective. The structure is composed of five unique modules that shape the roof, walls, individual seats, and communal benches.

This technique allows for a very efficient and economical use of material. The units for this structure are designed around the constraint of the cheapest and most readily available stock size— 4’x8’ sheets of recyclable plastic—and produce zero off-cuts in their construction. Each plastic sheet is used in its entirety; no part of it is removed and thrown out. Instead, they are simply scored and bent to shape, resulting in no off-cuts and no waste.

2021
Status: Built

Project Production Team: Rayshad Dorsey, Pietro Mendonca, Jack Raymond, Audrey Watkins. Special thanks to Burton LeGeyt.

Links to Feature on Harvard GSD Website // Cambridge Public Space Lab