interchanging rail tracks define this sculptural pavilion by studio chris fox in sydney

studio chris fox has completed the ‘interchange pavilion’, a sculptural, public art installation defined by interchanging rail tracks. located in south eveleigh, a vibrant new precinct in sydney, the project pays tribute to the diverse stories and journeys of people connected with the eveleigh rail yards. the 350 sqm pavilion combines 15 tonnes of robotically-molded glass reinforced concrete in its construction, together with 1400 pieces of router cut hardwood and 250 meters of stainless steel ground rails.all images and video by josh raymond

drawing from the precinct’s rail history, artist chris fox based the design of the ‘interchange pavilion’ on the main geometries of the railroad switch, the point at which a train can change its course, moving from one trajectory to another. the sculptural installation offers a point of confluence, as its geometries peel from the ground plane and arc overhead to create an embracing volume. ‘the pavilion is a meeting place where tracks converge, a place of interchange where paths cross,’ notes the studio chris fox.

the pavilion, which opened on 25 august, 2020, at south eveleigh sydney, combines 15 tonnes of robotically-molded glass reinforced concrete, 1400 pieces of router cut hardwood and 250 metres of stainless steel ground rails. fox and his team designed, modelled and managed each component of the project with a computational workflow. the unique material palette is supported by a 14 tonne structure made up of 1650 pieces of digitally fabricated aluminium to create a 350 sqm public art installation.

project info:

name: interchange pavilion

architect: chris fox 

team: chris fox, justin van ryneveld, yuxiao wang, tommaso pagani, simon giang, harry stitt, tina salama, (shop 1) gabriele ulacco

client: mirvac (south eveleigh)

location: south eveleigh, sydney, australia

curator: carriageworks (daniel mudie cunningham)

engineer: bollinger+grohmann (sascha bohnenberger)

aluminium fabrication and installation: lumark

GRC fabrication: shapeshift

timber fabrication: wright marine

GRC and timber installation: ACS

groundworks: diversified

lighting: westudio and onpoint

landscape: aspect and jiwah