What prerequisite skills or software knowledge do I need to attend?

A basic familiarity with Rhino and Grasshopper is recommended to get the most out of the workshop. While coding sessions will be guided step by step, prior exposure to parametric concepts will help you follow along more smoothly as we transition to physics simulation with Kangaroo.

What physical materials do I need to prepare for the prototyping sessions?

You can use readily available physical materials at home or in your studio. Recommended items include wooden dowels or skewers (for compression struts and scissor arms), stretchy fabrics like lycra/spandex (for active membranes), rubber bands or string, paper, fasteners/pins, and basic cutting tools.

Do I need to purchase any additional software or plugins?

No extra software purchases are necessary. You will only need Rhinoceros 3D (version 6, 7, or 8) installed on your computer. Grasshopper and Kangaroo Physics are built natively into recent versions of Rhino.

Will I learn how to create motion graphics or export animations of my designs?

Yes. On Day 2, the workshop explicitly covers how to capture and animate your digital physics simulations in Grasshopper, allowing you to showcase the expanding, contracting, and equilibrium behaviors of your deployable structures in motion.

Will I leave the workshop with reusable computational files?

Yes. By the end of the two-day session, you will have built a complete library of custom, working Grasshopper and Kangaroo definitions covering 2D/3D scissor mechanisms, hyperbolic deployable modules, and tensegrity systems with integrated tensile membranes.

Upcoming33 days left to enrollOct 10-11, 2026Saturday · Sunday14:00 - 18:00 (GMT)8 HoursBeginner

Upcoming33 days left to enrollFREE with Full Access Oct 10-11, 2026 Workshop Beginner 5.0 Rating

Tensegrity and Tensile Membranes in Kangaroo

Tensegrity and Tensile Membranes in Kangaroo is a workshop that teaches designers to design, simulate, and prototype deployable tensegrity and membrane structures using Rhino, Grasshopper, and Kangaroo. Across two days, students build parametric scissor mechanisms, simulate tensioned membrane surfaces with Kangaroo physics, develop hyperbolic and tensegrity systems, produce deployment animations, and translate their digital simulations into physical prototypes. The workshop is Beginner level and includes recommendations for prototyping materials such as wood dowels and stretchy fabric.

This course includes

Live workshop · 8 Hours
Lifetime session recordings
Certificate of completion
Rhinoceros 3D · Grasshopper 3D · Kangaroo
Included with Full Access
Oct 10-11, 2026

OCT10

Saturday · Sunday

14:00 - 18:00 (GMT)

8 Hours

This workshop will introduce participants to computational modeling approaches using Rhino and Grasshopper to design and simulate deployable structures. The workflow will move through a series of design studies ranging from simple to more complex designs.

Beginning with simple scissor mechanisms for deployment, to more complex systems of hyperbolic and tensegrity structures. The participants will also investigate how membrane surfaces can be integrated as active elements contributing to the movement and equilibrium of the structures.

Grasshopper and Kangaroo will be used to study how these types of structures move and simulate the tensioned membrane materials. The participants will learn how to control the various parameters to build complexity and generate animations of their designs to study the materials and structures. The workshop will also introduce methods for translating the models into simple physical prototypes to assess simulation accuracy.

By the end of the workshop, participants will have developed a set of parametric definitions and designs for deployable systems. The goal is to provide learners with a conceptual understanding of the possibilities for scissor mechanisms and tension membranes to be used in the design of adaptive and lightweight structures and architectural designs. Setting up a practical workflow from computational design and simulation to physical prototypes.

Understanding the principles of deployable structures in architecture (particularly scissor mechanisms)
Develop parametric workflows in Rhino and Grasshopper to create scissor mechanisms that deploy and collapse
Use Kangaroo physics to simulate membrane surfaces attached to deployable structures
Control various design variables to develop new designs and influence deployable behaviors
Simulation of Tensegrity in Grasshopper and Kangaroo with membrane surfaces
Producing animations of deployment and movement
Ability to translate design simulations into physical prototypes

The workshop will be broken into parts, first looking at references for deployable systems and particularly focusing on scissor mechanisms. The first simulations will be 2 dimensional and will go over the basic types of scissor mechanisms and movements.

The next step will be adding membrane materials to this by using Kangaroo to simulate mesh relaxation. The membrane material will follow and connect to the expanding and contracting scissor forms.

The Second part will be exploring in 3 dimensions with hyperbolic deployable systems; these will add more complexity and include Grasshopper and Kangaroo to again transform the base geometry and gain an understanding of the variety of variables and controls to transform these geometries. The next portion will be to combine these with membranes as well as adding aggregation and repetition of modules.

The final part will be a study of tensegrity systems where the membranes act in tension and linear struts are in compression. These forms are deployed through the activation of the membranes and structures to deploy and reach a structural equilibrium state. This will allow learners to understand structural arrangements as well as deployable forms for tensegrity modules in Grasshopper.

Finally, suggestions and workflow to translate these designs into physical prototypes will be addressed and discussed. To provide opportunities to study and understand the physical principles further.

Throughout the workshop, step-by-step instruction on making Grasshopper code will be provided. As well as discussion of the structural systems behind the designs and bringing in precedents and built examples, including deployable roofs and satellite forms from space travel. The studies ultimately will combine theory with the instruction of tools and methods.

Scope:

The workshop will introduce topics with lectures and precedents describing the goals for geometry to be created. As well as step-by-step instructions for developing the desired Grasshopper code for each of the pre-determined base forms. The results will allow students to deviate by adjusting a variety of parameters and scales, allowing them to individually develop their own designs.

Ultimately, the workshop will emphasize iterative design and working back and forth between the digital design simulations and testing results with physical study models and prototypes, allowing participants to work with a variety of materials that they may have available at hand to re-create their desired designs.

Group discussions of the results at each phase will offer an opportunity for participants to share and demonstrate their work. Opportunities will also be available to receive feedback and support for their individual developments.

Program:

Day 1: Foundations of 2D & 3D Deployable Scissor Systems

Introduction to deployable systems: Understanding scissor mechanisms
Basic Grasshopper workflow
2D scissor mechanisms in Grasshopper
Introduction to precedents and examples
Adding membrane simulation in Kangaroo
3D scissor aggregation in Grasshopper
Discussion on physical prototypes
Final questions and conclusions

Day 2: Hyperbolic Geometry, Tensegrity & Motion Simulation

Introduction to deployable hyperbolic forms
Grasshopper coding of hyperbolic forms
Adding membranes to simulation
Animating simulations
Introduction to tensegrity and structural configurations
Grasshopper coding for tensegrity modules with tensile membranes
Discussion on physical prototypes
Final questions and conclusions

Curriculum will be published soon.

Physical materials for prototypes, such as wood dowels, stretchy fabric, paper, and other tools, are recommended.

Virginia Melnyk

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Virginia Ellyn Melnyk is a computational architectural designer and researcher specializing in knitting, lightweight structures, and transformable architecture. She is currently an assistant professor at Iowa State University. Her teaching and research explore the interplay between deployable and lightweight structures, utilizing the fabrication methods of CNC knitting to develop structural membranes. Her designs focus on knit pattern arrangements using elastic yarns and connecting them with transformable frameworks to create deployable structures that stretch and interact with both their environment and users.Virginia has held academic positions at Virginia Tech, the University of Michigan, Clemson University, and the University at Buffalo. Where she has contributed to teaching and research in undergraduate studio design, computational design, structures, and textile research classes. Her work has been presented at numerous conferences, exhibited nationally and internationally, and published in books and journals.Focused on design process and human-centered engagement, her research reimagines architecture as dynamic , tactile, integrating closely with the human body to create designs that are sustainable, responsive, and deeply interactive. Through her work, Virginia envisions a future where architecture adapts seamlessly to meet changing needs and conditions.

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Tensegrity and Tensile Membranes in Kangaroo

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