The courtyard Curvahedra located outside Gearhart Hall showcases the beauty and artistry of mathematics. It’s also the product of a student and faculty project that turned abstract concepts into a physical structure that the entire U of A campus can enjoy.

The sculpture is featured in the newest Short Takes video, “Courtyard Curvahedra,” where viewers can experience the rejuvenated space and marvel at its graceful lines and streamlined construction. 

The 12-foot-diameter steel sculpture is intriguing for several reasons: its shape, its construction and even its name, which was coined by Edmund Harriss, clinical assistant professor of mathematics. 

Its nomenclature comes from the words “polyhedral,” or objects with many flat faces, and “curve,” since the assembled pieces create curved versions of those forms. Essentially, the structure employs two-dimensional shapes to create a three-dimensional sculpture and offers passersby a respite from campus life and the opportunity to contemplate its uniqueness. 

Harriss, along with his colleagues Emily Baker, assistant professor of architecture, and Carl Smith, professor of landscape architecture, led an Honors College seminar course, “Place in Mind,” that included students from many different fields — mathematics, landscape architecture, art, geosciences, biological engineering and more — to answer the question, “How do we activate an underused space?”

The result came about in the form of the public art piece dedicated in Fall 2021 and was funded by former Chancellor G. David Gearhart and his wife, Jane. What resulted has not only made the space more inviting but has produced a new form of construction as well — a highly efficient and economical software and manufacturing process that may be applicable to building concrete structures with fewer materials and less waste. 

Learn more about the “Courtyard Curvahedra” and find additional Short Takes videos here.

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