Real innovation rarely follows a straight line.

The Wave is a research project led by Catholic University of America professor Tonya Ohnstad in collaboration with architecture students and industry partners. The project makes visible the iterative, rarely explored relationship between scholarship, construction, materiality, and design. The future of space frame technology—seen in the full-scale structure overhead and in the elements displayed at ground level—is investigated through months of design studies, structural modeling, materials testing, and collaboration among students, faculty, engineers, fabricators, and museum staff.

The prototype structure at ground level and the exhibition materials displayed inside a geodesic dome explore an innovative hybrid system: a patent-pending aluminum strut reinforced internally with a cable tendon. Combining compression and tension within a single rod allows the material to work more efficiently—stronger, lighter, and smarter. Aluminum was chosen for its light weight, recyclability, and enormous potential for future construction. At roughly one quarter of the weight of steel, aluminum reveals where innovation matters most: at the connections. The challenges encountered were not with the material or the concept, but with the precision required at the joints—a frontier to be explored further.

The full-scale Wave structure overhead is constructed from steel, a material better suited for a public installation where predictability and durability are essential. The material choices reflect context: aluminum for exploration and innovation, and steel for demonstration and performance. While the design team pivoted to a more traditional space frame material and assembly, the new structural logic could one day be realized in materials like titanium for aerospace applications, or through emerging fabrication methods we are only beginning to imagine.

The Wave project embraces innovation as a process—one where learning comes not only from success, but from testing architectural ideas against the realities of fabrication, assembly, and use.