As part of a Materials and Methods course, our team recreated a portion of the Harpa Concert Hall façade (Henning Larsen Architects, in Reykjavik, Iceland) at 1:1 scale. The sheared geometry posed fabrication challenges, which we resolved by designing custom 3D-printed nodes that allowed metal and wood members to interlock with precision.
The full-scale mock-up included concrete footings, a wood-metal frame, dichroic acrylic panels, and LED lighting to replicate Harpa’s luminous quality. We used the fabrication lab tools for metal cutting, wood framing, casting, and acrylic finishing. This project improved my understanding of full-scale construction, material behavior, and digital-to-physical workflows.
Team: Angela Ponce, Ezinneka Emeh, Giselle Yeh
Instructor: Eric Olsen
Tools: Rhino, Adobe Creative Suite (Illustrator), Woodworking, Metalwork, Laser Cutting, 3D-Printing
Photo of Harpa Concert Hall
Photo of Harpa Concert Hall
Photo of Harpa Concert Hall
Construction Process
Mold for the Concrete
FInal Result of the Concrete
Experimenting Different Methods of Joints with 3D Printing
Cutting Metal with a Miter Saw
Cutting Acrylic Sheet with the Table Saw
Sanding Wood
Painting the Borders of the Acrylic to Hide the Silicon Sealant
Assembling the Frame with the 3D Printing Nods, Steel and Wooden Bars
Painting the Frame
Final Model
Photo of the Final Construction
Photo of the Final Construction
Photo of the Final Construction
Drawings
Axonometric of the Facade
