Mexican architecture studio Lanza Atelier has created a temporary wood-and-steel pavilion to function as a gathering space in a Mexico City courtyard.
Commissioned by arts agency Base, the pavilion was intended to be a space for events and is located in the industrial courtyard of the organisation’s office.
Lanza Atelier made the pavilion largely out of plywood panels sourced from regenerative forests, which were darkened using the traditional Japanese Shou Sugi Ban technique, and a corrugated roof.
Measuring five by 10 metres, the structure tilts slightly inwards and is made up of semi-enclosed walls. Two wide panels sit on the ground where doors might usually sit, while the surrounding walls are lifted up to reveal space underneath.
It is topped with a series of rafters and corrugated polycarbonate that extends over the sides of the pavilion to create a winged edge.
“The idea behind the pavilion’s conceptualisation was to construct a space that would allow people a unique opportunity to consider new perspectives through conceptual forms and natural components,” said Base.
“The result is a space that not only serves its immediate purpose but also aligns with the long-term vision of experimenting with different materials and testing new structural forms, providing solutions to design and architecture,” Base added.
The pavilion’s materials were chosen to “evolve” over time, although the Shou Sugi Ban technique will protect the wood from excessive weathering, a result of charring the material.
According to Base, the pavilion was created to be an add-on or annexe to a residential house, which was part of the design brief for Lanza Atelier.
It was also created to be easily assembled and disassembled.
Future iterations of the structure may also serve as an exhibition space or a “cost-effective housing alternative”, Base said.
Lanza Atelier previously created an exhibition for New York gallery Storefront for Art and Architecture with flat-pack furniture designed to be purchased and disassembled by visitors and another pavilion in Mexico City made of earthen blocks.
The photography is by Alejandro Ramirez Orozco.
Project credits:
Commission: Base
Design: Lanza Atelier
Construction: Mecma
Space: Reurbano
