Stay Tuned for the Unveiling of the ARMADILLO at the 15th La Biennale di Venezia

David Escobedo of The Escobedo Group, in collaboration with Philippe Block (ODB, BRG, ETH Zurich), John Ochsendorf (MIT and ODB) and Matthew DeJong (ODB), were invited to be one of the 88 invitation-only participants of the La Biennale di Venezia - Architettura 2016.  The collaboration produced a compression-only stone vault, aptly named The Armadillo for its shell-like stone exterior.  

Spanning a 60-foot width, this stone structure is made of 399 custom stone pieces that are held suspended by compression and no mortar, while tension rods distribute the vault's weight at its base.