Photo credits: Smith | Allen Studio.
Claiming to be the worlds first 3d printed architecture, the Echoviren Pavilion, is designed and made by
Smith | Allen Studio, and is located in a redwood forest in Gualala, California. The structure is around 10 feet by 8 feet, and is made from translucent white “bio-plastic”. It was printed in small pieces, on site, using battery power and was assembled by the designers.
As well as providing a proof of concept, it also functions as a place for contemplation of the landscape...
The form of the structure has a randomness about it, and is clearly inspired by naturally occurring forms that might be found in the forest. For this reason it aesthetically resonates in its setting, despite its incongruous materiality.
From the structural geometry, one is reminded of a
Strangler Fig, typically found in tropical forests. It climbs up the outside of an existing tree, slowly killing it by strangulation. The inner tree rots away leaving the Fig resembling a “diagrid” structure with a hollow core.
The pavilion is permanent, but will decompose naturally into the forest floor within 30 to 50 years.
Watch the
video.
Christopher C. Hill.
Gratitude to
Design Boom.
