Carnegie Mellon University

Given the design challenge of using the 5-axis wire cutter to modify standard extruded terra cotta components, architecture and design students at Carnegie Mellon looked to geological formations as inspiration. Their rainscreen assembly design draws from the plays on positive and negative space of the Kannesteinen Rock in Norway and considers the way water flow both patterns and establishes plant life on cliff walls. Eroded by years of wind and water, the visual connectivity of its curvilinear geometries is translated into the terra cotta assembly, which boasts endless potential aggregations with embedded planting and watering functions, creating an haptic biophilic experience.