[c]space Pavilion: A Temporary Structure Design

Located outside the AA in Bedford Square, duo architects Alan Dempsey and Alvin Huang designed a temporary structure which they called as “[c]space Pavilion”. In 2008, the design won a competition to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the AA’s Design Research Laboratory.

The competition was open to all students and graduates of the DRL and called for designs that made innovative use of Fibre C, a glass fibre-reinforced concrete panelling material produced by Rieder.

Alan Dempsey and Alvin Huang set up a blog as their attempt to start the building process. The striking presence of the pavilion invites inspection from a distance and upon closer interaction reveals its ambiguity through the merging of sinuous curves, structural performance, and programmatic functions into a single continuous form. Fibre-C elements perform as structure and skin, floor, walls and furniture.

As you move around, the surface varies from opaque to transparent, producing a stunning three-dimensional moiré. The surface encloses while also providing a route through for passing pedestrians. It has neither inside nor outside.

The jointing system in the pavilion exploits the high tensile strength of Fibre-C using a simple interlocking cross joint which is tightened by slightly bending each element as it is locked into consecutive cross elements.

Consultation with the Fibre-C technical department in Austria has suggested that a flex of 15-20mm per metre can be applied without affecting the structural performance of the material. The appearance of small micro cracks on the surface is mitigated by using lighter material colours and a Ferro finish.

The pavilion is fabricated from curved profiles that are nested on standard 13mm flat sheets and water cut. Once delivered to site the entire pavil¬ion can be constructed by hand.

Photos by Valerie Bennett. Via