"Voussoir Cloud," created by San Francisco-based IwamotoScott Architecture, for an exhibit on display in Los Angeles. (Photo courtesy of IwamotoScott Architecture)

Today is the opening day in Los Angeles for an innovative architecture exhibit, "Voussoir Cloud," created by San Francisco-based IwamotoScott Architecture.

The exhibit is the product of architects Lisa Iwamoto and Craig Scott, whose studio worked with the engineering firm Buro Happold and students from Southern California Institute of Architecture. The structure they created artfully combines ancient building techniques with new designs and materials.

The project was inspired by voussoirs, wedge-shaped stones used since ancient times to construct arches. First, the team had to find a way to creatively fill a 25' x 50' space. Then they had to consider construction ﾑ how to make a structurally efficient enclosure. The result was a blossoming, almost pillowy-looking structure, which, ironically, comprises shapes that have traditionally been hewn out of heavy slabs of rock.

"Voussoirs are wedge-shaped blocks that work by compression," explained Iwamoto. But the blocks here are actually thin sheets of wood on paper, "like wallpaper, really." For this reason, the huge structure weighs a bit under 200 pounds, itself a complicated feat of artistic and structural engineering.

The Voussoir Cloud exhibit reflects the company's goal of "amplifying the perceptual performance of architecture," while also "pursuing innovation in use of material and configuration of space."

Iwamoto studied structural engineering at the University of Colorado and got her master's in architecture from Harvard. She has worked as a structural engineer at top-tier companies like Bechtel and is currently an assistant professor at UC Berkeley. Her research focuses on "perceptual performance of material and digital fabrication techniques."

Scott also got his master's at Harvard after studying architecture at Syracuse. In addition to working on many prestigious projects, he has taught at Michigan, Yale, and Harvard universities and currently teaches at California College of the Arts.

The piece will be exhibited until Sept. 14 at the Southern California Institute of Architecture, 960 E. 3rd St. in Los Angeles. The gallery is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. and admission and parking are free. A discussion with the designers is scheduled for Aug. 15.

For more information, visit www.sciarc.edu or www.iwamotoscott.com.