Objects with surfaces that curve in two directions (domes, spheres) are much harder to build than surfaces with surfaces which curve in only one direction (cylinders, cone). you can roll a sheet of paper into a cone but, you can’t fold paper onto the surface of a dome without creasing it.
The challenge of creating doubly curved, complex surface has always interested me and, working with three-dimensional software and writing a bit of code I’ve found a way of making objects from sheet steel that curve all over the place.
The latest of these is shown on the right – a doubly curved bowl that slots together from steel pieces. To fit together perfectly, the individual pieces are cut to an accuracy of just a tenth of a millimetre.
This bowl, and the rest in the series are available for sale from the We Are Birmingham shop.
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