FLIM-FLAMS / Neal Lucas Hitch

FLIM-FLAMS (Force-Lifted, Timber, Flat-Laminated Shells) are self-assembling timber shells made by etching radial cut patterns into flat sheet goods, which are then laminated together and stretched upward to create rapidly deployable wooden tents. The process utilizes advanced digital software to simulate the deformation of flat geometries cut with computationally optimized radial patterns when lifted from a central axis. Once that geometry is optimized digitally, the flat radial pattern is milled into standard plywood panels, thereby converting flat sheet goods into giant wooden springs, which, when lifted from their center, transform into doubly curved, bending-active vaults.