Image courtesy of SDA | Synthesis Design

[C]space DRL10 Pavilion by SDA | Synthesis Design

[C]Space is the winning entry in the AADRL10 Pavilion Competition.  It is an advanced technology concrete structure that was erected in Bedford Square London in March 2008 to commemorate the 10 year anniversary of the Design Research Laboratory Graduate Design Program at the Architectural Association. The pavilion is formed by a discontinuous shell structure spanning over 10m made of thin fibre reinforced concrete elements which perform as structure and skin, floor walls and furniture.

Image courtesy of SDA | Synthesis Design

The concrete is manufactured by the Austrian company Rieder, and the design of the pavilion takes the material to new technical limits, which required extensive prototyping and material testing during the design development process. The jointing of discrete concrete profiles exploits the tensile strength of Fibre-C and a simple intersecting notch joint which is locked together using a bespoke rubber gasket assembly. The angle of intersection at each joint continuously varies across the structure.

Image courtesy of SDA | Synthesis Design

The entire design process was conducted using 3D digital and physical modelling, and the design development was completed using rigorous constraint modelling and scripting to control over 850 individually different profiles and 2000 joints. Finally, the elements were manufactured directly from digital models on CNC cutting equipment using standard sized 13mm thick flat sheets of Fibre-C concrete and 15mm thick mild steel plate.

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