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1st ProofTitle: BA: Architectural Design
Job No: PD0710-67/3184Chapter 1 final_.qxd:layouts to chapter one 7/23/10 8:51 PM Page 23
Architectural education ›Architectural Association: student pavilions› Design studio projectsSwoosh Pavilion is an open-latticed structure that curves and
twists around the square’s lamp-posts to form canopies,
openings and benches. The design allows people to use it in
several different ways at once: to meet, sit, rest and eat. The
dynamic form and open structure create an array of shadow
patterns on the ground beside the pavilion. The structure
is formed from 653 pieces of laminated veneer lumber that
were shaped by a CNC milling machine. The white stain
applied to the timber emphasises the difference between the
structure and its shadow. The main vertical curved columns
are connected by shorter, slimmer cross beams that radiate
out from the centre. The whole structure was bolted together
to ease its construction and dismantling. It sits on two heavy
steel bases that counter-balance the cantilevering timber.
Bad Hair Pavilion was inspired by the designer’s
interpretation of her own wet hair as it dried. The pavilion
rises into a dome and falls to drape on to the ground making
places to sit and lie down. Although the structure looks
tangled, with its complicated double-curved, twisted
glue-laminated beams, there is order to the structure and
construction. The outer two layers are freer while the inner
two layers are more geometric. The timber has been stained
a rich brown and the members are bolted together.
To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the Architectural
Association’s Design Research Lab (DRL 10), existing
and graduate students were invited to compete to design
a pavilion. Alan Dempsey and Alvin Huang were invited
to develop and construct their design for a glass-fibre
reinforced concrete structure. This material is normally used
for cladding rather than structural purposes. Their ambitious
design required extensive prototyping and material testing.
The resulting pavilion uses 13mm thick panels to provide the
structure, skin, walls, floor and furniture of the pavilion.Swoosh Pavilion by Valeria García
Abarca and Intermediate Unit 2,
2008Bad Hair Pavilion by Margaret
Dewhurst and Intermediate Unit 2,
20071st ProofTitle: BA: Architectural Design
Job No: PD0710-67/3184
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