In June 2018, ODO was commissioned to design an ephemeral pavilion as part of the Southbank by Beulah Architectural competition and Future Cities Symposium. The Pavilion hosted the presentations by internationally-renown architects over several days and became a public display of the submitted schemes over a 2 week period. Sited on Queensbridge Square, the pavilion was designed to be an interactive sculpture for the public as it could be experienced from multiple viewing points, via the river, the square, and the central business district beyond.
Designed as a commentary of the city being in a constant state of flux, the pavilion utilises concentric frames to capture how an iterative process can lead to a sculptural outcome. Large structural timber frames were rotated around a common axis to create a sense of movement and depict the static capture of motion. This provides viewers with ever-changing perspectives and provides for endless vantage points around the pavilion and its context. The self-supporting structural frames converse with the site context and pay homage to “Gayip”, an indigenous sculpture by Nadim Karam and Mandy Nicholson. Reinforcing the sculpture’s purpose as a place for gathering, the concentric frames form a mini amphitheatre around the sculpture. On the northern side, the frames align with the edge of the waterfront and rotate vertically towards Queens Bridge.
The pavilion was designed to be assembled on site in 48 hours. To enable this, we workshopped details with the structural engineer and builder to ensure that all elements could be fabricated offsite and assembled on site as a kit of parts. With time and budgetary constraints, the frames were fabricated out of standard LVL members to reduce cost and the environmental impact of a short-term building.
Credits:
- Beulah International - Developer
- Lighting Consultant - Atmosphere Design
- Enclosure Supplier - Spacecube
- Fit-out Contractor - Kovstruct
- ODO - Project Director and Design Architect - Samson Tiew
- ODO - Project Architect - Pei Wen Kwek
- Robert Bird Group - Engineer
- ODO - Project Team - Nathan Davis
- Main Contractor - Multiplex
- ODO - Project Director - Jon Liow
- ODO - Project Architect - Rodelle Lee
- AV Consultant - Inspire Design