Gallery: 24 Tons of Towering Stone, Held Together With Compression

  • Image may contain Human Person Flooring Floor Building Architecture Banister and Handrail
    Iwan Baan
    01

    02-Beyond-Bending-ArmadilloVault-Iwan-Baan.jpg

    The Armadillo Vault is made from 399 blocks of limestone.
  • Image may contain Banister Handrail Human Person Vehicle Transportation Airplane Aircraft Staircase and Flooring
    Iwan Baan
    02

    08-Beyond-Bending-ArmadilloVault-Iwan-Baan.jpg

    The blocks are held together through compression.
  • Image may contain Building Human Person Architecture Flooring Hangar Concrete and Floor
    Iwan Baan
    03

    01-Beyond-Bending-ArmadilloVault-Iwan-Baan.jpg

    There's no mortar or steel reinforcements to help.
  • Image may contain Human Person Building Architecture Flagstone and Concrete
    Iwan Baan
    04

    04-Beyond-Bending-ArmadilloVault-Iwan-Baan.jpg

    The designers created the shape in 3-D modeling software that redistributes forces to maximize compression.
  • Image may contain Building and Architecture
    Iwan Baan
    05

    05-Beyond-Bending-ArmadilloVault-Iwan-Baan.jpg

    The interior side of the stones is etched to show how the forces flow through the structure.
  • Image may contain Human Person Building Architecture and Hangar
    Iwan Baan
    06

    06-Beyond-Bending-ArmadilloVault-Iwan-Baan.jpg

    The pavilion uses 24 tons of stone.
  • Image may contain Human Person Plywood and Wood
    Iwan Baan
    07

    07-Beyond-Bending-ArmadilloVault-Iwan-Baan.jpg

    It's strong enough for a football team to dance on.
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