TETRAHEDRAL
fractals to urban follies
The goal of this workshop was to design an urban folly rooted in fractal logic. Fractals are geometric figures that repeat their behavior across scales — from the delicate patterning of a snowflake to the leaf of a bryophyllum. This idea that complexity can emerge from simple repetition became the foundation of our design process. We began by establishing a set of principles inspired by fractal theory, exploring how a single element could grow, split, and evolve into a spatial system. Through iterative modeling, these rules generated a family of forms.
From these experiments, we selected a geometry that best translated into a built experience. Bamboo, as a lightweight and flexible natural material, became our primary medium. It allowed the fractal logic to become inhabitable, rising from a conceptual diagram into a pavilion at full 1:1 scale.
From these experiments, we selected a geometry that best translated into a built experience. Bamboo, as a lightweight and flexible natural material, became our primary medium. It allowed the fractal logic to become inhabitable, rising from a conceptual diagram into a pavilion at full 1:1 scale.
Physical model development of the fractal form
Location
Typology
Team
Year
Critics
Role
Typology
Team
Year
Critics
Role
Vellore, India
Urban Folly
Vaishnavi Chandra Kumar, Shruthi Athreya, Akif Habeeb, Neha H, Yash M, Karunya C, Varun S, Nivedita K, Vrinda G
January 2017, Academic Workshop
Fleur Palmer, Jaffer A.A. Khan, Takbir Fathima, Devi Prasad
Conception, design development, construction
Urban Folly
Vaishnavi Chandra Kumar, Shruthi Athreya, Akif Habeeb, Neha H, Yash M, Karunya C, Varun S, Nivedita K, Vrinda G
January 2017, Academic Workshop
Fleur Palmer, Jaffer A.A. Khan, Takbir Fathima, Devi Prasad
Conception, design development, construction