students of waseda university crafts temporary plywood pavilion in tokyo

students of waseda university crafts temporary plywood pavilion in tokyo
all images courtesy of ben nitta

inviting visitors to engage, sit underneath or take photographs, ‘in the loop’ was a temporary pavilion built by second year architecture students led by takuma sugi, nanako hirai, ben nitta of waseda university. fabricated from plywood paneling, the pavilion was constructed for part of the 2015 science and engineering festival. the design team worked with a limited budget to result in a design which explores the efficient use of material and ease in assembly.

the structure was displayed in the campus’ central courtyard

the theme: ‘the expanding loop of science & engineering’ saw the cubic structure conceived as a sculptural grid of plywood panels with the four sides carved out and leaving a spherical void inside. the use of 3D CAD computer programming enabled the fine-tuning of every detail towards its realization. additionally, a series of stools created with a similar pattern as the pavilion were placed around and under the scheme.

‘the dappled shadows cast as sunlight fell through the grid brings to mind light filtering through tree leaves, while the rhythmic pattern of consecutive rings gave visitors a peculiar uplifting feeling. all in all, the project was a tremendous success, and became a great experience for everybody involved.’

using computer programming, the interlocking panels were carefully planned beforehand

the pavilion drew visitors to take pictures and rest underneath

project info:

project leaders / designers: takuma sugi, nanako hirai, ben nitta
project participants: 2nd grade students, art and architecture school of waseda university
size: 5.46m x 5.46m x 2.73m
site: waseda university, west waseda campus, central courtyard
conceptualization and design period : august 2015
fabrication period: 10/15/2015 ~ 11/5/2015
display period: november 7th and 8th 2015