Thin-tiled vaulted installation

We (odb-engineering) are designing a thin-tiled, "free-form", structural vaulted installation for the IVth Design Triennial opening in May 2010 at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in NYC, USA. A motivated group of students are constructing a prototype in the N51 courtyard of the Architecture Department of MIT.

project blog

Stone masonry vault prototype

Prof. John Ochsendorf (MIT) and I started a collaboration with Escobedo Construction for the design, fabrication and construction of a stone masonry vault featuring new forms for compression-only structures. By combining our expertise in three-dimensional equilibrium of complex structures in unreinforced masonry and Escobedo's expertise in design and construction of stone buildings, we expect to produce a state-of-the-art pavilion, which will be an important application of my PhD research in practice.

project blog

Design and analysis methods for 3d equilibrium vaulted structures

My current PhD research at MIT is developing three-dimensional analysis and design tools for optimal compression-only surfaces, applied specifically to vaulted unreinforced masonry structures with complex geometries. It proposes Thrust Network Analysis, an improved methodology and process for visualizing and understanding 3-d equilibrium solutions, combining descriptive geometry, duality theory and linear optimization. The new tools are used to compare the efficiency of different known vault typologies and to explore new shapes.

PhD dissertation  J.IASS paper  SAHC'08 lecture  more

Interactive actuated kinetic tower

I worked on the design, analysis and fabrication of a 12 meter (35 feet) high actuated kinetic tower. The lightweight 'spine' of the articulated structure is made out of fiberglass/polyester composite hollow 'bone' elements with aluminum joints. The central core is being pulled out of its straight position by pneumatic muscles. The tower was showcased in front of the student center at MIT. The team consisted of Dr. Axel Kilian, Peter Schmitt, John Snavely and myself.

presentation  project blog  press

Soil-cement vaults in South Africa

Our team carried out detailed design of structural vaults built from local soil for a new museum at the World Heritage Site of Mapungubwe in South Africa designed by Peter Rich Architects.  Michael Ramage (Cambridge Univ.), John Ochsendorf, and Philippe Block designed the unreinforced structural masonry vaults. Matthew Hodge developed the cement-stabilized tiles in collaboration with Anne Fitchett (Univ. of Witwatersrand). James Bellamy supervised the vault construction on site.

project description  construction photos

Interactive thrust line analysis for masonry structures

This project presents new interactive computational analysis tools for masonry structures based on limit state analysis. Thrust lines are used to clearly visualize the forces within the masonry and to predict possible collapse modes. The models are interactive and parametric to explore the relation between the different geometrical parameters and the possible equilibrium conditions. The project was done for my SMArchS thesis at MIT under supervision of Prof. John Ochsendorf.

project page 

Scissor hinge deployable membrane structures tensioned by pneumatic artificial muscles

This project was realized together with Tom Van Mele.  We designed, analyzed and built a full-scale prototype unit of a scissor hinge retractable roof system, covered by a structural membrane, tensioned by pneumatic actuators. For the development of this ‘intelligent’, retractable  lightweight roof structure, we collaborated with experts in mechanics of materials and constructions, multi-body mechanics (robotics), material science, and polymer science.

project page 

  2007              P. Block & J. Ochsendorf  "Thrust network analysis: a new methodology for three-dimensional equilibrium" 
                         in Proceedings of IASS Symposium 2007, Structural Architecture - Towards the future looking to the past, Venice, Italy.

  2006               A. Kilian, P. Block, P. Schmitt & J. Snavely. "An evolving language for actuated structures" in Proceedings of Adaptables 2006,
                          International Conference on Adaptability in Design and Construction, Eindhoven, Netherlands.

  2005               P. Block & J. Ochsendorf. "Interactive thrust line analysis for masonry structures" in Proceedings of the International
                          Seminar Theory and Practice about construction: knowledge, instruments, models, Ravenna, Italy.

  2003               M. Mollaert, N. De Temmerman, F. Daerden, P. Block & T. Van Mele. “Adaptable tensioned coverings” in Proceedings of the
                          IASS-APCS 2003 International Symposium on New Perspectives for Shell and Spatial Structures, Taipei, Taiwan.


  Poster presentations


  2008               M. Ramage, J. Ochsendorf, P. Block & P. Rich. "Advanced Geometry, Rudimentary Construction: Structural form finding for
                          unreinforced thin-shell masonry vaults" To be published in Advances in Architectural Geometry, Vienna, Austria.

  2004               M. Mollaert, T. Van Mele, P. Block & N. De Temmerman. "Intelligent kinetic structures: architectural organisms as a concept"
                          in Proceedings of the IASS 2004 International Symposium on Shell and Spatial Structures, Montpellier, France.


  Theses


  2009              P. Block. "Thrust Network Analysis: Exploring Three-dimensional Equilibrium" Ph.D. dissertation, Building Technology,
                         Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.

  2005              P. Block. "Equilibrium systems: studies in masonry structures" M.S. thesis, Department of Architecture, Massachusetts
                          Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.

  2003              P. Block & T. Van Mele. “Scissor hinge deployable membrane structures tensioned by pleated pneumatic artificial muscles"
                         M.S. thesis, Department of Architecture, Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Brussels, Belgium.

  2009 - present       Assistant Professor in Structural Engineering, Swiss Federal institute of Technology (ETH), Zurich, Switzerland.

  2009 - present       Founding Partner, Ochsendorf, DeJong & Block, LLC, Structural Engineering consultants, Cambridge/Cambridge/Zurich.

  2005 - 2009           Doctor of Philosophy in Building Technology (PhD), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Cambridge, MA, USA.

  Summer 2008       Project designer / Consulting engineer / Intern, Escobedo Constructions, Austin, TX, USA.

  Spring 2008           Visiting researcher, Institute for Lightweight Structures and Conceptual Design (ILEK), University of Stuttgart, Germany.

  Fall 2007                Research Fellow, School of Architecture, Danish Royal Academy of Arts, Copenhagen, Denmark.

  2003 - 2005           Master of Science in Architecture Studies (SMArchS), Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA.

  Summer 2001       Project designer / Intern, Cécile Guilmot Interior Architecture & Renovation, Halle, Belgium.

  1998 - 2003           Burgerlijk Ingenieur - Architect (Ir.-Arch.), Vrije Universiteit Brussel, Belgium.