Today, we will build a large, two layer Zometool model. The model will have a diameter of over two meters.
To build the model, we will split into seven teams:
- one team for the support structures
- two teams for pentagon modules
- four teams for triangle modules
Once we have all the modules ready, we’ll build the final model in two halves, then join the halves together.
Support structure
We need six copies of this structure:
Pentagon module
We need six copies of this structure from each Pentagon team, for a total of twelve:
Triangle module
We need five copies of this structure from each Pentagon team, for a total of twenty:
Final Assembly
For the final assembly, we will join into two larger teams, each building half of the structure. Both halves will be assembled the same way, then we’ll flip one half over to make the top half.
One of the teams will add the supports to the bottom half.
The Build
As it turned out, my design was a bit ambitious, and “under-engineered”; the model never fully stood on its own. Nonetheless, the students did a remarkable job, and seemed to enjoy handling the crises. The top half assembly really needed its own temporary supports, so we had to have people supporting it as we built it. The most tense moment was flipping the top half over and moving it above the bottom half, but they did it with masterful cooperation and coordination.
At the end, we removed the top 1/3 first, then disassembled the rest top-down; the process took only a couple of minutes.
These photos are from my camera. I’ll add a better group photo when I have it.
Resources
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Zometool in USA, Europe, Japan, and Korea
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vZome software (free) used to create this page