Stacking cubes to spherical contour:
The Quadric Leap
Shallow pitched versions can be accomplished by a layering method. This can be applied to groundwork, or to building down ceilings suitably for plastering.
Parabolic domes and saddles are versatile.
They can be open framing, sheathed for roofing, or even used as forms for concrete.
Ellipsoid domes
Parabolics can also be applied as shell structures.
Elliptical Hyperboloids
Corner arches
partial dome grape arbor
a storm shelter in Kansas
Portions of curving surfaces can be rearranged and combined to make new configurations.
Click on the picture above for more photos of this 16’ x 10’ pergola.
Shown here are some CAD drawings of “stepform” Quadric Designs together with pictures of various ways they can be executed.
A quality of the hyperbolic paraboloid is that through every point on the surface pass two straight lines that also lie on the surface.
These straight lines implicit in the shape can be made explicit as ropes or cables that give vines a place to climb and that help distribute the load of the structure.
Original designs leading to a wide range of new possibilities
Innovative ways of planning and building curving surfaces
Quadric Designs
Drawing on elemental mathematical concepts, John Kostick has developed a general layout and planning system for constructing contoured shapes, such as domes, shells, saddle curves, archways, etc. Elegant curved surfaces are made accessible using standard building techniques and materials. His approach offers practical methods for constructing gracefully curving forms that can be used in a variety of ways.
Applications of Quadric Designs are unlimited. Structures can be built free standing to create arbors, pergolas, or gazebos. They can also be used as architectural components, such as framing for an eyebrow dormer, a cupola roof, a niche, or a domed ceiling. Quadric designs are developed using rectangular grids, and so can be readily integrated with typical building features. Transitions from standard flat plane structures can be made in a natural manner.
Quadric designs are adaptable, can be “stretched” or “cut” to meet particular constraints, such as height, footprint, proportion,etc. Many parameters can be adjusted to achieve desired effects.
John Kostick draws on many years of carpentry experience to design and execute these unique structures.
This roof shape is four sections of a circular paraboloid.
a framing model of an eyebrow dormer
elliptical paraboloid grape arbor
