S Pavilion - Skopje Urban Attractor
frame of urban possibilities
We were invited by Stopanska Banka to design a public centerpiece – an urban attractor in one of the many pizzettas in Skopje’s Debar Maalo, a donation from the bank to this lively and chic neighborhood in the city center.
To create something memorable, we decided to develop a new social landmark that people would be able to experience and explore by touching, leaning or climbing it, not just looking at it.
Influenced by the local vibe, we were interested in the mesmerizing visual effect of capturing movements in forming the open-air structure, where form would follow experience – a public dance along the pedestrian promenade.
The resulting design is an infinite loop – an architectural framework integrating urban fittings from luminaires, benches and tables to planters, bins, and bicycle racks.
Formed from origami shaped metal parts, this structure is composed of 5 tons of 30x30 cm steel profiles, acting as if it is levitating from the ground with its light appearance.
Its irregular shape gives flexibility to the structure while its white color was chosen to emphasize it from the sharp contrast of its backdrop. Metal boxes filled with plants and trees infuse vitality and enthusiasm to the scenery.
Designed as an adaptable, multi-purpose social space, ambiguous between the sculptural and the inhabitable, people are encouraged to enter and interact with the S Pavilion in different ways as people will identify it as a meeting point.