Art in/of Nature

2020 Art in/
Sabah Shawkat /of Nature

“We believe that our team archineer is only
as strong as the people support us.

For this reason, we surround ourselves
with creativities individuals dedicated to

innovation and excellence.”

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

8-51 TENSILE - INTEGRITY STRUCTURES
52-69 LIGHTWEIGHT STRUCTURE AS SCULPTURE
70-79 TENSEGRITY AS PEDESTRIAN BRIDGES
80-95 GRID SHELLS
96-103 GEODESIC DOME
104-139 RECIPROCAL FRAMES
140-169 EXHIBITIONS
170-181 MODELLING PROCESS

About author

Sabah Shawkat is a structural designer,

specializing in lightweight structures, such as tensile
structures, tensile integrity structures, grid shells and
reciprocal frames. He focuses on transforming these
beautiful structures into design components such as
chairs, tables, illuminated lamps or hammocks for
interiors, gardens or public spaces.

Sabah Shawkat is also a passionate expert in
traditional fibre reinforced and prestressed structures.
He has published numerous articles in professional
journals and has written several books.

He teaches students of architecture and
building engineering. Moreover, he regularly
organizes workshops for students and exhibitions of
his own as well as student projects and construction
models. He is also actively involved in projecting and
building constructions as well as reconstructions and
modernizations of buildings.

Foreword

The architectural discourse, which followed the
path of sophisticated philosophy, is increasingly moving
away from the simple constructing that gave birth to
building and architecture. However, constructing,
experimenting with its principles and searching for new
structural solutions has not lost its meaning at all.

The author of this book proves to us that
structural geometry is an area in which an almost infinite
number of discoveries is still possible. Like the father
of similar experiments, Richard Buckminster Fuller,
also Sabah Shawkat is not only engaged in theoretical
geometry, but he is constantly testing his models at
halfway point to realization. With admirable toughness,
he benefits from the wealth of spatial combination of
elemental geometric structures - a simple composition
of line patterns. Later he continues his investigation,
getting to the real tension and compression elements
and experimenting to create their complex equilibrium.
Light metal strips, rods, ropes, subtle tubes, and wooden
prisms are the materials on which he demonstrates his
creative variation, alternation and experimentation.
Due to this endless quest, he has managed to arouse
sincere enthusiasm among his students.

Prof. Ing. arch. Matúš Dulla, DrSc.

Predslov

Architektonický diskurz, ktorý sa dal cestou
sofistikovaného filozofovania, sa čoraz viac vzďaľuje
od prostého konštruovania, ktoré stálo pri zrode
staviteľstva a architektúry. Avšak konštruovanie,
experimentovanie s jeho princípmi a hľadanie nových
štrukturálnych riešení vôbec nestratilo svoj význam.

Autor tejto knihy nám dokazuje, že konštrukčná
geometria je oblasťou, v ktorej je stále možné priam
nekonečné množstvo objavov. Tak ako dávny otec
podobných experimentov Richard Buckminster Fuller
sa aj Sabah Shawkat s neutíchajúcim nadšením
púšťa nielen do teoretického geometrizovania, ale
sústavne testuje svoje modely na polceste k realizácii.
S obdivuhodnou húževnatosťou ťaží z bohatstva, ktoré
mu poskytuje priestorová kombinácia elementárnych
geometrických prvkov – prostá skladba priamok a
úsečiek. Ale potom vo svojom skúmaní pokračuje
ďalej, dostáva sa k reálnym ťahaným a tlačeným
prvkom a experimentuje pri vytváraní ich zložitej
rovnováhy. Ľahké kovové lišty, prúty, lanká, subtílne
rúrky, i drevené hranolčeky sú materiálom, na ktorom
predvádza svoje kreatívne varírovanie, alternovanie
a experimentovanie. A pre toto nekončiace hľadanie
sa mu darí vzbudiť úprimné nadšenie aj u svojich
študentov.

Prof. Ing. arch. Matúš Dulla, DrSc.

Tensile - Integrity Structures 8

9

The early development of tensegrity was
already known by many professionals for many years. I
have a knowledge that the Latvian artist Karl Loganson
made an exhibition in 1920-21 about the prisms of
tensegrity in the capital city of Russia according to many
historians who preoccupy themselves with this type of
art. The word “tensegrity” (a contraction of “tensile-
integrity”) was coined by the American entrepreneur
Buckminster Fuller.

The members of a tensegrity structure are
either always in tension or always in compression. The
tensile members are usually cables or rods, while the
compression members are strut sections.

All tensegrities are prestressed under tension;
they are self–supporting and independent of gravity. But
the weight of the structure also adds to the prestress.
All components are dynamically linked such that forces
are translated instantly everywhere; a change in one
part is reflected throughout the whole structure.

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