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Manta

Year

2020

Location

Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Instructor

Cathlyn Newell Mark Meier

Status

Built

Material

Plaster

Affiliation

Taubman College University of Michigan

Course

ARCH 700 Practicum

Students

Sarah Nail Ruxin Xie

Tool Box

Rhino, Grasshopper Silicone Casting, 3D Printing

Cover

© Ruxin Xie

We created a unique mold and casting process that enables the production of multiple plaster blocks from a single mold. To achieve both material efficiency and geometric continuity, we selected Schoen's Manta Surface of Genus 19 as the foundation for our modular system. Using a silicone rubber mold paired with tetrahedron-shaped acrylic boxes, we cast each intricate Manta surface in plaster, transforming mathematical elegance into tangible, repeatable forms.

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