Roof Dominoes

The name Roof Dominoes is a nod to Maison Dom-Ino, Le Corbusier’s concrete frame building system from 1914. Though both share a reference to the game of dominoes, Corbiusier’s is strictly planimetric while Roof Dominoes uses combinatorics to generate endless sectional variations. Roof Dominoes is both a game and a section design tool that allows players to make form while having fun. The basic unit of the game is a four-sided rectangular tile with an angled top. The tile can also be understood as a miniature house with a sloped roof. Using a strict proportioning system, the roof slope changes on each tile. The final set of 40 tiles represents all of the possible permutations of sloping a roof using one, two, three, or four folds. The game is played with a single rule. As with dominoes where one tile can be added to another only if the number of dots is the same, players are allowed to add the various tiles in Roof Dominoes only if the shape of the adjoining face is the same. When all the tiles are added together, a continuous ever changing section is the result. A unique horizontal tessellated roof surface is made each time the game is played.