Students' Heat-Shaped Grids Form Curved Structures
The research-stage method could help designers test larger roof shapes, though it has not been shown in commercial construction.
Updated on Nov. 6, 2026 in Materials Science
Three high school students presented a low-cost technique for creating curved structures from flat grids of wooden dowels and 3D-printed plastic connectors at the IASS conference in Turin, Italy, in September 2026. The method is research-stage; the university announcement does not establish any commercial construction adoption.
Why it matters
The technique offers a more accessible and energy-efficient alternative to conventional methods of forming curved structures, in a field where such shapes typically demand costly fabrication. Its arrival through a high school summer research program points to how early-career design experimentation is reaching international engineering venues.
The evidence is a set of physical scale models presented at an international conference rather than measured performance data. The source reports no quantified strength, cost or energy comparison against existing curved-structure methods, and the technique's limits remain unmeasured.
The players
Hofstra University
A New York private university whose Summer Science Research Program hosted the project, with research spanning engineering and the sciences.
New York University Tandon School of Engineering
The engineering school of New York University, which enrolled student Madison Lee in its integrated design and media program.
Edward Segal
An engineering professor at Hofstra University who advised the students on the curved-structure project from summer 2025.
David Gallego
A 2022 Hofstra University graduate who later presented master's research from the University of Stuttgart in Germany.
The details
The researchers immerse flat grid models, built from wooden dowels joined by 3D-printed plastic connectors, in hot water. The heat temporarily softens the plastic, allowing the grid to be hung so it settles into a curved three-dimensional shape. The approach rests on a material that can be reshaped with heat and then holds its new form as it cools.
Timeline
Summer 2025: Students began working with engineering professor Edward Segal on the project.
September 14-18, 2026: Research was presented at the IASS conference in Turin, Italy.
November 6, 2026: An article about the students' research was published.
The Tech Race
The work sits in the broader effort to make curved architectural and engineering forms cheaper to produce, a field where conventional fabrication is typically costly. Its presentation alongside work from the University of Tokyo, Vrije Universiteit Brussel and MIT places a high school project within the same international conference as established university groups.
No commercial availability, pricing or adoption timeline has been announced, so the technique is not currently usable outside the research setting. Any practical effect would depend on further testing of the models' strength and cost, which the source does not report.
The takeaway
Watch for published load-testing or cost data on the softened-connector method, which would show whether the approach can scale beyond scale models. Readers can also track whether the technique is cited in later curved-structure research presented at IASS or similar venues.
Further reading
For related context, explore Materials Science coverage across New York.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Times of India.
