C.A.S.T welcomes Researcher in Residence Frederik Petersen

Frederik Petersen is a London-based Danish fine art photographer, architect, teacher and maker. His residency at C.A.S.T will be devoted to exploring the technical and aesthetic potentials of compactos and inflatables in pre-cast fabric formed structures. The aim is to test novel designs where compactos are used to control the spherical expansion of formwork, while pneumatic inflatables are used internally to obtain cavities in pre-cast structures. The simultaneous use of compactos and inflatables affords designers a dedicated set of tools to control the interplay of tensile and compressive forces in the formwork. This, in turn, allows designers to develop pre-cast elements with an optimized mass to strength ratio.

In parallel with its technical motivations the project is driven by aesthetic and artistic ambitions to develop work in which the characteristic formal and suggestive aspects of fabric formed structures are an active and desired part of the build environment’s vocabulary.