Flower Pavilion
Temporary pavilions for the international garden exhibition IGA 2017
The IGA Berlin 2017 exhibition will celebrate the Garden and explore its various forms in the art of living with Nature and the quality of life it offers. The communication of such an event requires a wide visibility in order to defend the role of Nature in our contemporary society. The aim of our project is to illustrate the theme of the Garden by addressing public interest in terms of image and communication.
The original idea is to give the pavilions a clear shape that would be simple and universal. We chose a flower because its shape is easily recognizable. Thus the pavilions are materialized as giant flowers and act as a mnemonic reminder for the public to associate the event with something familiar and welcoming.
The form of the pavilions is designed to meet the characteristics of flexibility and combination, as required by the program. The device is inspired by the composition of a flower. Thus the basic module is a petal which can be combined to other petals and form a whole flower pavilion.
To increase the visibility of the pavilions, we propose a proliferating system that works like a village developing with a variety of functions. To allow this proliferation, the assembling device of the pavilion is modular.
A single module is essentially made of an inflatable roof, filled with air, the cheapest and most renewable element you can find on earth. The inflatable is precisely adapted to the needs of a temporary exhibition. It is easily transportable, fast to assemble and sustainable in time. A Pavilion is made of 6 petals (modules) which poetically form the flower.
The inflatable‘s membrane is made of white PVC in analogy to a flower petal. The curved shape of the roof allows rainwater to flow in the outskirts of the module. A metallic column, which is funded superficially into the ground, takes a flared head to support the inflatable roof. The same column is hollow so it can integrate a technical sheath with all the electricity and air supplies. At the top of it, a lamp provides artificial light for inside and outside the module. The illumination of the pavilion contributes to its visibility and transforms it into an urban signal.
Full of transparency and reflection, the Pavilions are penetrated by the environment and sheltered by the floral lightness of the inflatable. Since the programs can operate independently or combined, the Pavilions can be scattered in all the park where takes place the IGA exhibition. They allow to showcase the surrounding Nature and appear as architectural punctuations along the visitors’ path.
