Outside of the pavilion.
massa ljud
Competition. 2015
With: Lina Svensdotter
The competition assignment was to design a café pavilion showcasing concrete in an innovative way for the convention Nordbygg 2016.
This proposal is meant to create a calm oasis in the hustle and bustle of a convention hall, and invite people to experience concrete in a familiar, but under-utilised way.
As a material, concrete has a large thermal mass and absorbs certain sounds effectively – mass and sound.
By heating the pavilion using built-in heating coils, the concrete keeps a pleasant subsiding temperature during the day. A tactile surprise for the convention visitor. Enclosing the serving area of the café, we achieve a quiet spot to sit down and have a break in the convention hall.
The physical experience of the acoustic properties of concrete are also mirrored visually. The wave-pattern of the constructive elements is inspired by interference patterns - the pattern which is created by two sources of sound crossing.
Interference.
Soundwaves and the resulting pattern.
Use.
The pavilion doesn't have a back side. All of the constructive elements are usable on both sides. One side curves out into a continuous bench with a small footrest. The other side is less billowing in character but still creates a narrow ledge - perfect for a cup of coffee and short, standing hangouts. The concrete is coloured with red pigment, making it pink, in order to further break concrete convention.
The shape and variation of the wave pattern is inspired by interference patterns - sine waves extracted from sections through two crossing sound sources.
Elevation.
1100 mm
489 mm
1000 mm
Element dimensions.
Section.
1. Information point
2. Display case
3. Register
4.Coffee cart
5. Fridge
The counter is cast with a continuous front in order to hide the sides of the display case and coffee cart.
Plan.
5
4
3
2
1
4000 mm
Construction detail.
Construction.
The pavilion is constructed from one meter wide elements. There are in total ten differently patterned elements; two corners and eight straight elements. In this configuration, the pavilion totals 44 elements. The elements are cast against cnc-milled styrofoam. Each element is cast in two pieces, inside and outside, that are later fixed on the top and bottom of the element. The connection between elements is also cast into the top of all elements. In order to simplify transport the base of the elements has two grooves fitting a forklift. When all of the elements are connected the grooves become are hidden.
Behind the bench, inside the concrete elements, there is a chute for heating and lighting. The lighting is constituted by LED-strips placed underneath the larger top wave above the bench, creating a dramatic play of light across the wave-pattern of the pavilion.
In order to avoid damage to the floor of the convention hall, the elements are placed on top of a carpet-covered fibreboard. The carpet extends underneath the serving area and the register, but leaves a passage between the two parts of the pavilion uncovered.
© 2016