FRAMEWORK

This pavilion was built to demonstrate some of the research happening within the department; specifically, it became a way for us to explore the changing role of the architect and the nature of production within the field. Much of the research was spent developing a suite of digital tools that enabled the creation of structural logics, facilitated the manufacturing process, and streamlined the assembly sequence. Our goal was to create a system that releases the architect from the struggle between design latitude and construction feasibility.

Our design leverages the power of these tools to take a complex shape and, through a process of negotiating between the various scales of the project—from an individual joint to the curvature of the whole—creates a bottom-up system of construction that enables the production of not just this specific pavilion, but rather a whole range of structures.

A special thanks to Shopbot Tools Inc. for donating the wood used in the pavilion. The modular nature of the Shopbot CNC machine allowed us to easily create a machine tailored towards this specific project. What would normally have required the use of an expensive and hard to program robotic arm was achieved instead with a much simpler and more accessible system.

Thanks also to James Coleman, Chris Dewart, Ben Dewart, Jim Harrington, Brian Hoffer, Paul Kassabian, Justin Lavallee, Amanda Priest, Rachel Vroman