Pavilion Spéciale 2012 / Ball Nogues Studio

Ball Nogues Studio, this year’s winner, drawn among 8 finalists, will design with students an installation that will create a sense of place while providing a respite from the sun and rain. ‘The Pavilion is a unique structure, in architecture terminology; the phrase that describes a system whose form is derived from the deformation of its materials under force is “form active.” This type of structure is difficult to study using software. It often requires architects to explore their designs by testing full-scale mock-ups, and using that empirical information to help inform the process of digital modeling, which is studied in the studio rather than in the field. Students will therefore engage in this iterative design process with Ball Nogues.

The structure is comprised of approximately 200 “cells”, each made from locally sourced plastic tubing that will be bent and curled in custom jigs designed and constructed by students.  To provide shade, each cell will have a locally sourced sheet material spanning between the tubes within it. The cell module is a very effective way of constructing a temporary structure: each can be transported as a flat unit and rapidly assembled on site; when it is time for the structure to come down, dismantling and transportation to a new site is easy’. 

http://www.archdaily.com/218972/pavilion-speciale-2012-ball-nogues-studio/