Trompeta de la Mort

Final assignment for the Introduction to Digital Prototyping

CNC’d Plywood Pavilion

Our final assignment consisted of creating a mushroom structure using the CNC and 8 plywood sheets. Our building site was the space next to the pine tree between the chicken coop and the southern terrace of Valldaura. Contrary to what its name might suggest, the trumpet of death is an excellent edible mushroom.

The site was surveyed by Eduardo Chamorro

Concept

We were interested in creating a structure that one could enter as a space for introspection. The ascomycetes, or sac fungi like the orange peel mushroom provided the initial inspiration from which we built on. Our research lead us to the ‘Trompeta de la mort’, Craterellus cornucopioides, or horn of plenty. In greek mythology, it referred to the magnificent horn of the nymph Amalthea‘s goat. The edible mushroom’s name might find its origin in the fact that they might have been seen as trumpets played by the dead underground.

Orange peel fungi, trompeta de la mort

Design Process

Our goal was to create an interior space with an upward opening that would be created by bending and twisting the exterior plywood panels. The interior structure becomes bench and shelf.

Sketches, models, render

Fabrication and assembly

After cutting the plywood on the CNC, we dug a hole on the site where we would insert the base. Some post-processing of some parts allowed for easier assembly. The main structure was assembled in the wood shop. Once on site, we added the exterior panels to the structure finalizing the assembly. The final structure was then varnished.