TYPE Shading Pavilion
DATE 2020
LOCATION Charlotte, NC
DESIGN LEAD
David Costanza
The Hypar Canopy was a design solution for additional educational space and much-needed small performance spaces during the COVID pandemic and the associated social distancing guidelines. The Hypar Canopy was designed as an outdoor tent-like structure that provides shade and weather protection. The canopy was designed to be rapidly constructed with off-the-shelf parts allowing for a quick construction. The systems selected relied on 2” steel tubes with a Kee-Klamp modular joint. Using straight tubes with modular joints led to the construction of the Hyperbolic Paraboloid, which is both structural as an anticlastic geometry and easy to produce. The hyper puts the fabric surface into tension, producing a stable tensile surface. The module of the Hypar was 20ft by 40ft and is mirrored to produce a 40ft by 40ft module. The module is repeated 5 times to construct the 40ft by 200ft long canopy. Because of the temporary nature of the canopy, the design was meant to come together quickly and come apart easily. The Hypar Canopy accommodates students and faculty for most of the year in a needed covered outdoor public space as the university returns to in-person teaching.