Oikodome
Calling all budding engineers, builders and architects: these school holidays we are exploring the science of architecture! Inspired by the building works underway at the Museum, young visitors and their families are invited to create a cubbyhouse out of cardboard tubes and foam nodes. Be helped by the experts: architecture student volunteers, across all Sydney campuses, will be on hand to inspire and engage you in the construction of your designs.
Book now for full day workshops or drop in and discover the possibilities! For full details, visit the school holidays page.
Oikodome is a collaboration between the Family and Community Experiences department at the Museum and the revitalisation architect Robert Toland.
Take a peak at how it works:
Oikodome 1 | PDF 3.4MB PNG 2.1MB
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Oikodome 4 | PDF 0.5MB PNG 0.6MB
Elementary school in China is copyright: Li Jun
Oikodome also references the woven canopy structure designed by Shigeru Ban and destined for the Powerhouse Museum forecourt. The award-winning Japanese architect is noted for his use of inexpensive construction materials like paperboard and cardboard tubes. While his designs for DIY prefabricated housing have been adopted by the UN High Commission for Refugees to house earthquake victims in Turkey and Rwanda, Ban has also used these lightweight and relatively inexpensive materials to create lovely homes, pavilions and churches. Ban’s ground-breaking paper tube structures, using recycled cardboard, can be used as columns and trusses, are quickly assembled, and can also be made waterproof and fire resistant. The Takatori church in Kobe, Japan, for example, burned down as a result of the 1995 earthquake and was rebuilt as the ‘paper church’. The new building was constructed in just five weeks by 160 church volunteers.
‘It didn’t allow a long design period and tests so the structure used the techniques of the paper architecture which had been developed in previous projects. It was also important that it was low cost and could be assembled safely by volunteers without heavy machinery.’ Shigeru Ban said of the project.
This quote could just as easily apply to the materials and assemblage that will be awaiting families in The Turbine Hall in July. A team of enthusiasts from the Museum’s Workshop, and Family and Community Experiences program department, have prototyped a range of structures made from cardboard rolls. We will also be hosting the popular, pre-booked Science Workshops with focus on Architecture in July.
Why Oikodome? It is a little known fact that architects love etymology (the origin and historical development of words). ‘Oikodome’ is an Ancient Greek word meaning ‘construction’ or ‘building up’. It is often found in religious references, especially the Christian Church, in relation to love, community, doing good and the concept of edification — all very relevant to design in the 21st century, and the architects whose work we honour. Both Toland and Shigeru Ban are passionate about conservation, useability, economy, accessibility, collaboration and education, as well as the beauty of great architecture. And this sets a perfect tone for our next exciting holiday program.
First published in Powerlines magazine.
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