shigeru ban: IE cardboard paper pavilion in madrid

‘paper pavilion at the IE school of architecture and design’ by shigeru ban, madrid, spainimage © fernando guerra

as of march 20th, the IE school of architecture and design in madrid can be proud to host renowned japanese architect shigeru ban‘s temporary paper pavilion made of 173 cardboard tubes with timber joints. decked out with LG‘s multi V III heating and air conditioning systems, the space is ideal for meetings, presentations and reception area. the pavilion is based in an existing wall, built with local materials and labor, and will prove to be an excellent bastion of ‘leading by example’ for the architecture students studying at the university. the paper pipes are assembled to make aparallel series of trusses with cross tension cables connecting the vertical wooden posts.  larger paper columns support the further end from theanchoring structure marking the limit of the space. retractable glass doors can close off the pavilion for weather conditions or completely open itto the outdoors for larger audiences or free displays.

‘IE’s culture and shigeru ban’s work share a commitment to sustainability, the humanistic spirit, and the blending of multiple cultures. the pavilion opened here today will serve as a hub for the exchange of ideas in a place that is light, open, elegant and functional, while its ephemeral nature serves to remind us of the need for the permanent transformation of knowledge.’

– santiago iñiguez, dean of IE business school and president of IE university

retractable glass doors open the pavilion to the exteriorimage © fernando guerra

‘one of the main challenges in any project is that the design must take into consideration the specific characteristics of the location. in this case, we used an existing wall and kept the pavilion as far as possible from the adjacent building. I try to use local firms for my work. in this case the tubes, for example, were made in zaragoza”.

– architect shigeru ban

pavilion interiorimage © fernando guerra

sketchimage courtesy of fernando guerra