bureau A's self built + recycled garden pavilion la fabrique

bureau A’s self built + recycled garden pavilion la fabrique
image © david gagnebin-de bons

influenced by the ideas in buster keaton’s short film ‘one week’, where a recently married couple try to install a kit-house on a small plot of land, swiss architecture firm bureau A have constructed the self-built pavilion ‘la fabrique’.

bureau a describe the background to the short film: ‘the dismountable home was intended to be self-built in only seven days as the couple’s wedding gift. difficulties start when a rival of the couple disorganizes the components, making the installation more difficult. the process threatens to compromise the happiness of the young couple’s first house.’

the pavilion seeks to form a direct relationship between the designing of architecture and the making of it
image © david gagnebin-de bons

similarly, ‘la fabrique’ is built with a mixture of seriousness and lightness. made out of recycled windows from demolition sites, the small pavilion was constructed together by the architects and the owners in just a couple of days. seeking to form a direct relationship between the crafting of architecture and the making of it, the concept of ‘lightness’ is explored. architecture’s normally long and complex process is here shrunk to a point where pleasure and the simple desire to build become an integral part of the design. reflecting the follies of garden culture, the small pavilion is surrounded by nature. relating to the idea of ‘seriousness’, the building questions the difficulty of producing self-built and affordable spaces in western countries, where the spontaneity of the architectural process has been lost. similar to buster keaton’s wedding present in the film, la fabrique offers poetic and playful architecture, within a serious context.

‘la fabrique’ is built with a mixture of seriousness and lightness
image © david gagnebin-de bons

interior view of the garden pavilion ‘la fabrique’
image © david gagnebin-de bons

made out of recycled windows from demolition sites it was built together by the architects and the owners in just a couple of days
image © david gagnebin-de bons

architecture’s normally long and complex process is reduced as the simple act of making is celebrated
image © david gagnebin-de bons

interior detail of the recycled components
image © david gagnebin-de bons

the pavilion explores the ideas of pleasure and the simple desire to build
image © david gagnebin-de bons

reflecting the follies of garden culture, the small pavilion is surrounded by nature
image © david gagnebin-de bons

view looking towards the back of the pavilion
image © david gagnebin-de bons

the building questions the difficulty of producing self-built and affordable spaces in western countries
image © david gagnebin-de bons

family in front of the self built construction
image © david gagnebin-de bons

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