Geodesic Temple

A sculpture by Disorient at Burning Man 2011.

THE CONTENT OF THIS PAGE IS FOR GEODESIC TEMPLE COLLABORATORS ONLY. IT IS NOT READY TO BE RELEASED PUBLICLY.

Geodesic Temple is one of the most ambitious projects attempted by Disorient in its 11 years of existence, yet we have never been in a better position to successfully transform this idea into reality. One of the strengths of Disorient is its community and the tight connections that bind its members. Its base of veteran burners has welcomed newcomers for the past decade, many of which are now part of the core group of DOers (Disorienters). Disorient is always open and welcoming to newbies. 230 DOers camped at Disorient in 2010 and about 1,500 more since its inception. Geodesic Temple is a new direction for Disorient. We are confident that we can build this piece thanks to our dedicated workforce of literally 100s of on-Playa DOers.

[last edited by Milo (uPgrade) on 01.27.11]
ABSTRACT

Geodesic Temple will be a massive structure composed of human sized and individually illuminated octahedron that rise above the playa and provide a beacon for community. From a distance the Temple will seem complex, but the viewer will encounter a fundamental shift upon discovering the simplicity of the components. This challenge to expectation will inspire the mind to open, embodying the Burning Man spirit and acting as a Rite of Passage.

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The Geodesic Temple will be a critical addition to the landscape of Burning Man. Disorient intends to create an opportunity for the community to come together and contribute to the assembly of the final piece.

The Geodesic Temple will be composed of wooden 2x4 struts assembled into octahedron. This shape will be used as building blocks to create a self-supporting mega-structure; therefore, the resulting architecture will not have a frame onto which other elements such as facades need to be added. All octahedrons will be identical in size and shape but will be independently illuminated. The simple assembly will not require skilled labor and the components will arrive prepared.

Drawing on the Burning Man Community, every stage of this project will bring minds and bodies together. The experience Disorient has gathered assembling its own geodesic domes and the expertise with large-scale inflatable structures puts Disorient in an expertise position, understanding that precision is crucial at every stage of the building process. Thus, the individual octahedrons will require supervision on the macroscopic level and connect the participants. Interactivity and cooperation from the community is crucial at every level and the final shape of the structure will be dictated by the amount of involvement from the community.

The Geodesic Temple design will serve as a beacon and give direction alongside the Burning Man. It will rise and float above the playa surface, illuminated at each octahedron and pulsing to the beat of the DJ. As the week progresses, levels of octahedrons will be added and increasingly crystalize the structure, culminating in a fierce reaction on the final day as the Geodesic Temple burns down.

The Geodesic Temple will be able to withstand the harsh environment. It will be painted for protection against the elements and will be able to be “skinned” completely or individually. Plywood faces would provide shade and help increase flammability, but the final design will focus on safety, taking into calculation elements such as wind and rain. The structure will not be able to be climbed on, partially on account of the complexity of the final design, but also because of the expected size.

The Geodesic Temple is designed to be environmentally friendly. The octahedron will be an efficient shape that will minimize the amount of materials used in the project. The inherent strength of triangles will take less material to build than using conventional orthogonal building blocks. In addition, the carbon footprint will be minimized as well since the octahedrons will be assembled on site.

The Geodesic Temple is an expression of the Disorient philosophy that individual cells working together create the ever-changing landscape of life. Disorient is based on a biological model. It is an art-centered, inspirational and nourishing collective that feeds on positive energy. It is open source and creates systems that can be taken apart by others and from which new systems can learn. One way of interpreting the evolution of Disorient is installing a button to “save changes.”

FULL SCALE PROPOSAL

Notes from The Eye

Acknowledge the geometry at the core of our world.
Geodesic domes in Disorient's history.
Honoring the past, embracing the future, but most of all being in the moment.
It is radical because it is made of one single element that is repeated.
Ultimately, it is whatever the person experiencing it wants it to be. It is an open structure both physically and conceptually, a galvanizer of people's dreams and desires.
What else can we make besides domes using the geodesic principles?
Truth, transparence.
GT is a portrait of Disorient, imbued with the deepest elements of Disorient's history
Need to tie-in this year's theme: Rites of Passage
---ideas for project overview end---

PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION

Geodesic Temple (GeoTem06) is a meta-modular, self-supported, burnable structure made of octahedrons, a regular polyhedron with 8 identical equilateral triangular faces which is also a geodesic volume and a platonic solid. The octahedron is used as building block to create a self-supporting structure meaning that the resulting architecture does not have a frame onto which other elements such as facades are added. In that sense, it is about transparence and truth. All octahedrons have similar sizes and are made of 2x4 struts. The choice of using the octahedron as the basic module of Geodesic Temple was dictated by the physical qualities of the octahedron.

Modular

Modularity is one of the core principles of Disorient as expressed in the Disorient Model ( http://wiki.disorient.info/index.php?title=Disorient_Model ). The radically modular Geodesic Temple is no exception. Geodesic Temple is a meta-modular (modules made of modules) structure based on a single module, a octahedron. It is exclusively composed of 144 octahedrons, all similar. Each octahedron is made of 24 identical 2x4 wood struts.

Reuse (if not burned)

As an art collective, Disorient has created artworks recycling material from previous installations for the past 11 years and developed a decentralized approach supported by a vast vocabulary of "modules" ( http://wiki.disorient.info/index.php?title=Disorient_Model#Disorient_Module ). The octahedrons used for Geodesic Temple will become part of Disorient's visual vocabulary and will be reused and reconfigured for future installations either as a version of Geodesic Temple or as other structures. You can see examples of several structure configurations based on the same octahedron at http://geodesictemple.com

Durability (Figment only)

Geodesic Temple will be painted for protection against the elements. The way the design of the structure organizes octahedrons in interlocked closed loops reinforces the structural integrity of the entire piece.

Economy

Triangles are stronger than squares as that they are inherently triangulated. Geodesic Temple is economical because of the inherent strength of triangles, it takes less material to build a modular structure using octahedrons than it would using classic orthogonal building blocks. Octahedrons will be assembled on site to reduce the carbon footprint of the project.

Connectors. Strong, burnable. "No connector is the best connector." (needs website reference)

Skin. Sides of octahedrons can be partially or completely skinned individually. Skinning the structure with plywood would provide additional shade and help with the burn but will need to be taken into account when calculating the wind resistance of the sculpture.

Geodesic Temple should not be climbed on. It provides shade and possibly beats to the community.

FABRICATION

From the experience we have gained assembling our own geodesic domes and our expertise with large-scale inflatable structures we understand that precision is crucial at every stage of the building process when putting together large geodesic structures as any mistake will amplify down the line if not corrected immediately.

Following this example of wood compound angle connection both ends of each 2x4 strut are cut at an angle so they fit tightly together when the octahedron is assembled. Having the 2x4 struts cut before they are delivered to the Playa (need quotes from wood providers) would help us reach a satisfying level of accuracy and reduce on-Playa production time.

On Playa we will have cells (cells are teams in Disorient jargon http://wiki.disorient.info/index.php?title=Disorient_Model ) dedicated to specific parts of the assembly process. The highly repetitive aspect of this construction permits members of each cell to become experts at the specific tasks that they perform which translates into a more accurate fabrication and a safer structure.

The different steps of on-Playa assembly are performed in parallel by several cells.
- Octahedron Assembly Cell creates octahedrons by connecting 2x4s together. Connect the ends of the struts that are precut at an angle to fit tightly together. Repeat the process until the octahedron is complete. A jig is used for this step to assure that all octahedrons are created equal. Galvanized strapping is used for reinforcement where needed. Some members of this cell are responsible for quality control. Octahedrons that will not comply to the design will either be corrected or, if beyond correction, used in related projects which require a lower level of accuracy such as Disorient camp frontage or Disorient mutant vehicle transformation.
- Octahedron Connecting Cell creates "C" modules by connecting octahedrons together on the ground. Two types of C modules are created: "regular" C uses 3 octahedrons, "long" C uses 5 octahedrons. Long C modules are used only at the base of the structure. The 16 octahedrons on which the structure rests are part of 8 long C modules. Both types of C modules can be assembled on their flat side on the ground by a crew of 6-8 using 6' ladders.
- GeoTem Assembly Cell. Specializes in connecting C modules together. After creating 4 GeoTem04 by connecting two long C modules together with one C module this cell will connect the top octahedrons of the existing structure together with C modules. This task will be repeated many times until the entire structure is complete.

LIGHTING

Options being considered:
1. Elements of New Leo Sign (2010) mounted on the struts. Color: Orange.
2. Sequenced LED fixtures (ColorBlast type) installed inside and outside the structure. Color: Pornj (pink and orange), Disorient's color.
3. Sequenced LED modules mounted on each outside octahedron connector.
4. Strobe light inside each octahedron.

INTERACTIVITY

Some octahedrons are left free-standing and can be rolled around by participants. There is no climbing on the main structure.

BURN

We understand that the 2x4 struts as shown on GeoTem06 are too far apart for the fire to start and propagate well and we can think of two solutions to remedy this problem.
1. Add combustible material such as hemp bags 3/4 filled with hay inside the octahedrons located in the lower part of the structure (show on sketch combustible material placement throughout the structure).
2. Reduce the length of the basic 2x4 strut from 8 feet to 6 or 4 feet. The design concept would remain the same but the resulting structure would have more octahedrons, more levels and more wood in general to reach the same dimensions (make sketch showing structure made with octahedrons using 4' and 6' 2x4s).
We welcome advice from Burning Man experts.

ROLES (preliminary list)

Director: The Eye of Disorient
Light art: Leo Villareal
Design: Clarice Bodganov
Producers: Ky, Dimitri, Tejawe
Architects: Devyn Osborne, Aura
Engineer:
Math: Seven
IT: Dimitri
Build Co-Leads: Victoria Wagner, Amber Alliger
Octahedron Assembly Lead: Jay Mingle
Octahedron Assembly Cell 1: 4 people (Archer)
Octahedron Assembly Cell 2: 4 people (Simas)
Octahedron Assembly Cell 3: 4 people
Octahedron Connection Lead: Joe Che
Octahedron Connection Cell 1: 4 people
Octahedron Connection Cell 2: 4 people
Octahedron Connection Cell 3: 4 people
GeoTem Assembly Lead: Matt Patane
GeoTem Assembly Cell: 4 people
Light Cell Co-Leads: Mads, Jason Blip
Light Cell: 10 people
Electrical: Muvment
Shop Master: Britelite
Kitchen Cell: 10 people
Burn Cell: 10 people (need help with this as we've never burned a piece this size)
PR: TBA
Photo/video/blog documentation: 4 people (Jan, Magellan, ...)
Time Lapse photography: Ori Leibovitz
LNT Lead: Ocean
LNT Cell: 40 people

Contact the(dot)eye(at)dizorient(dot)com if you wish to be added to this list.

TIMELINE

June
GeoTem04 fabrication at Figment, NYC
Sat 4: 2x4s delivered and cut at Dock.
Sun 5: 2x4s cut at Dock.
Mon 6: Deliver 2x4s and tools to Governors Island.
Tue 7: Start assembly of octahedrons.
Wed 8: Assemble all C modules.
Thu 9: Assemble GeoTem04.

August
Location: BRC, NV
Wed 10: Wood delivered on Playa; octahedron assembly jig fabricated.
Thu 11: Start assembly of octahedrons.
Fri 12: Start assembly of C modules.
Sat 13: Start assembly of Geotem.
Wed 16: Complete assembly of 4 GeoTem04.
Sat 19: Complete assembly of level 4 of GeoTem06.
Mon 22: Complete assembly of octahedrons.
Tue 23: Complete assembly of C modules.
Wed 24: Complete assembly of GeoTem06.
Thu 25: Start lights installation.
Sat 27: Complete lights installation.

September
Thu 1: Remove lights and start prepping for burn.
Fri 2: Burn.

BUDGET

Design and Preliminary Studies

3D Visualization: provided by Disorient
Stress tests
- Virtual:
- Physical:

Octahedron Test, NYC

- 60 2x4 struts @ $3: $180
- Dock delivery:
- Work space rent *15 days @$30: $450

GeoTem04a Test, NYC

Installation
- 500 2x4 struts @ $5: $2,500
- 3/4" CDX plywood *20 @$40: $800
- Delivery: $300
- Screws: $100
- Simpson Strong Tie LSTA24 * 150 @ $1.50: $225
- Paint + protective coat + paint supplies: $600
- Truck rental *4 days @ $112: $448
- Work space rent *10 days @$30: $300

Deinstallation
- Truck rental *2 days @ $112: $224

GeoTem06, Burning Man 2011

Wood
- 3000 2x4 struts @ $2: $6,000
- Cut both ends of 3000 2x4 struts according to specs @ $3: $9,000
- 3/4" CDX plywood * 20 @ $32: $640
- Playa delivery:
Screws: $250
Simpson Strong Tie LSTA24 * 1800 @ $1.10: $1,980
Lights
- ColorBlast rental * 16 @ :
Tools
- Ryoby screw guns + battery * 10 @ $60 + charger"8" *2 @ $80: $720
- Leveling equipment:
- Shipping from NYC: $300
- 25KW generator rental @ $3,500 shared with Disorient camp 50/50: $1,750
- Fuel for generator: $700
Cranes: provided by BM's heavy machinery dept.
Kitchen (not including food): $500
Burn
- Decomposed Granite
LNT

Preliminary Sketches

GeoTem07

Height: 61' Length: 116' Width: 82'. 24 struts x ?? octahedrons = ?? 2x4x8' struts.

GeoTem06 (Burning Man)

Iteration of GeoTem04 and GeoTem05


Height: 64' Length: 82' Width: 82'. 24 struts x 144 octahedrons = 2736 2x4x8' struts.

GeoTem05

Iteration of GeoTem04

Height: 52' Length: 57' Width: 57'. 24 struts x 55 octahedrons = 1320 2x4x8' struts.

GeoTem04a (Figment Pavilion)

Height: 32' Length: 33' Width: 33'. 24 struts per octahedrons x 21 octahedrons = 480 2x4x8' struts.

GeoTem04

Height: 32' Length: 33' Width: 33'. 24 struts per octahedrons x 13 octahedrons = 312 2x4x8' struts.

GeoTem03

Height: 36 feet. 24 struts x 57 octahedrons = 1368 2x4x8' struts.

GeoTem 01, 02

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Height: 91 feet. All icosahedrons are the same size.

3D files

GeoTem03, 04, 05, 06: Media:GeoTemOcta01.skp‎
GeoTem01, 02: Media:GeoTemIco.skp‎

Notes

- Interactivity: some elements are left free-standing on the ground so they can be moved/rolled by anyone to reconfigure the piece.
- Skin: sides can be (partially) skinned individually. Skinning the structure would help with shade, burn and lighting but would create more resistance to wind which is a problem on the playa. Maybe only lower parts of the structure are skinned?
- Camp frontage and Dex transformation uses same polyhedron as Geodesic Temple.

References:
From Victoria's inspirations and JoeChe on FB