BentArc is a project crafted during the first term of the Digital Woodcraft Seminar.
The site is at the Vallvidrera reservoir, situated on the outskirts of Barcelona. It was designed in 1865 for a hydraulic project that was carried out to bring drinking water to the old town of Sarrià. Today it is no longer used to supply water and has become a leisure spot for enjoying natural surroundings and relaxing with family and friends, immersed in its fauna and flora.
Upon thorough examination of the site and its environs, we discovered the presence of a neighboring cooperative society named Can Pujades.
After analyzing the context, we opted to conceptualize a greenhouse cum communal area for the Can Pujades community. This space aims to facilitate the cultivation of herbs and various food crops, especially during colder months when climatic conditions pose limitations on plant growth.
During the early stages of the seminar, as we delved into various woodworking techniques, we were drawn to steam-bending as the primary concept for our project. Steam bending is a woodworking technique where wood is exposed to steam to make it pliable. Heat and moisture from steam can soften wood fibres enough so they can be bent and stretched, and when cooled down they will hold their new shape.
We conducted an exploration of the different types of wood available in and around Barcelona that could be utilized for steam-bending purposes. The harder the wood, the more time is needed to fully soak the wood before it can be bent and to prevent it from springing back to its original form. Popular hardwoods are oak, maple, cherry, birch, walnut, ash and poplar. Common softwoods are pine, fir, spruce, hemlock, cedar and redwood.
After going through the pros and cons of all the different kinds of wood, we decided upon Sessile oak as our primary material.
In our preliminary experiments, we utilized pine wood sticks that were boiled over a stovetop in a deep vessel. Subsequently, these softened sticks were bent over a set of nails affixed to a plywood base.
We found that this setup effectively facilitated 2D curves; however, to achieve 3D curves, we realized the necessity of acquiring a different setup.
