MIT Students Create Beautiful Lightweight Structures Out of Frozen Water-Soaked Fabric

Forces Frozen Ice Fabric Structures

Earlier in January, students at MIT built a remarkably diverse array of lightweight structures from just two components: fabric and water. The structures are created by first shaping the fabric with various supports and forms. Water is added, and the Boston winter transforms the fabric into rigid ice shells, which are then inverted and placed on the ground. The technique is inspired by the work of Swiss structural engineer Heinz Isler. The structures are built during the annual MIT workshop, Forces Frozen.

Frozen Ice Structures at MIT

Frozen Ice Structures at MIT

Frozen Ice Structures at MIT

photos via Forces Frozen

E.D.W. Lynch
E.D.W. Lynch

Writer and humor generalist on the Internet and on Facebook.