newitalianblood

This temporary pavilion for the British Library Forecourt was constructed for London’s Architecture Biennale. The pavilion defined a threshold space, or aedicule, between Institution and City. A festival structure, it accommodated words beyond books, whether as a stage from which to read or a place for intimate conversations, shaded from the sun. Its seasonal, temporary nature defined its construction as a light-footed timber skeleton, at once furniture, house and pergola. In describing formal, geometrical relationships to the Library and surroundings, including the spires of St Pancras, the form of the pavilion distorted and twisted like an unfolding drawing by Albers. The resultant complexity of timber jointing led us to test the use of detailed computer modelling which allowed prefabrication, 1:1 templating and rapid assembly of components by unskilled student labour.