Catholic University Students, National Building Museum Partner to Showcase the Future of Spaceframe Technology

Updated Feb. 17, 2026

A 5,000-pound steel spaceframe hovering above visitors in the Great Hall of the National Building Museum (NBM) and a prototype aluminum spaceframe — using new technology developed in part by a professor and student at The Catholic University of America — tell the story of architectural innovation.

The installation, called “The Wave,” was on display at the NBM from Jan. 21 through Feb. 9, 2026. A special event featuring Catholic University faculty was held the evening of Feb. 5, 2026.

Tonya Ohnstad, associate professor of architecture at Catholic University, helped develop an innovative, patent-pending design with Dave Stephen, a graduate student, and experts from DSI Spaceframes. 

Ohnstad also led architecture students in a hands-on course to design, model, test, and help install The Wave. 

“They learned to navigate real-world challenges, including delivery timelines, drawing discrepancies, personalities, material lead times, budgets, and the many constraints that shape built work,” Ohnstad said.

Video: The Wave Exhibit at the National Building Museum

She said the patent-pending design could revolutionize the future of spaceframe construction. 

The innovation is a cable tendon that is placed inside the aluminum struts that form the frame. This combines compression and tension within a single rod and allows a lightweight recyclable aluminum spaceframe to be as strong as a steel spaceframe that is nearly four times heavier. 

“This new approach could enable spaceframe design and construction to be more sustainable, efficient, flexible, and affordable,” said Ohnstad. 

The 3D frames are used widely due to their lightweight and flexible design, including sports stadiums, The Sphere in Las Vegas, and The Louvre Pyramid in Paris.

Mike Graves of DSI Spaceframes, the lead for the patent, said, “This is not a conventional spaceframe. It is a prestressed tendon stabilized strut. As far as we are aware, there is no previous architectural system built at this scale using this arrangement of elements.”

In addition to the sustainable aluminum, Dyneema® Composite Fabric provides a sense of enclosure and lightness.

“The National Building Museum is proud to open our Great Hall as a living laboratory for the next generation of architects and innovators,” said Aileen Fuchs, president and executive director of the National Building Museum. “The Wave is the result of a multi-year collaboration between Catholic University and our exhibitions team, and it exemplifies what can be achieved when students and professionals work together.”

This is the third large-scale build Ohnstad has led for students since 2022. Each architecture project has focused on structure, material, and collaborative construction. Previous projects included reconstructing a medieval truss of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral on Catholic University’s campus and at the National Building Museum. 

Architecture students also restored the first long-span geodesic dome erected in North America with the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History in 2023. 

The Wave is supported by AIA, Amazon, Architectural Systems, DSI Spaceframes, Dyneema, Harmon, Hydro, United Rentals, and the Graves Family.