In 2011 we were shortlisted with three others for the Coca-Cola Olympic Pavilion for London 2012. Together with Arup’s Serpentine Pavilion team, we designed the world’s first four-dimensional building: a celebration of youth, music and movement embodied in a performing building that was also a stage for performances.
The moving pavilion is constructed from a system of tried-and-tested elements, commonly used on construction sites, and covered with a stretchy expandable net. We proposed different colours for the warp and weft of the net so that the pavilion would shimmer as it moved.
Project
- Use: Civic
- Location: Queen Elizabeth Olympic Park, Stratford, London
- Size: 900 m²
- Status: Shortlisted
- Date: 2012
Team
- Client: Coca Cola
- Structural Engineering: Arup
- Quantity Surveyor: Equals Consulting
PROCESS
Using off-the-shelf mechanically-driven components, the structure extends in four directions with projecting balconies and a vertically moving trampoline. With its constantly changing form, every visit is a unique experience. Visitors circulate through lightweight transparent interior spaces, filled with inflatables and interactive sight, touch and sound exhibits. They are invited to play with the Media Wall, communicate with the athletes, drink at the bar under the ETFE roof and enjoy the moving framed views out to the Olympic grounds. The visit culminates with a bounce on the trampoline at the heart of the pavilion, linked via webcam to digital screens in Piccadilly Circus and around London.The pavilion is conceived as a bridge between architecture and fashion. Dressed in a stunning, iridescent, constantly shifting exterior envelope, it literally transforms into something you can wear: a custom-made net bag. The net, made from threads of recycled plastic Coca-Cola bottles, speaks of the playfulness, elasticity and ephemerality of the event-based nature of the Olympics, with clear sporting connotations. The pavilion was fully recyclable – the net would be made into net bags and the stages were made of existing component parts that could be sold back to construction sites or to schools to create small grandstands for sports events.
The changing form of the pavilion corresponds both to its internal use and the unpredictable weather, resulting in four primary configurations. These accommodate a wide variety of activities, from mass visitor flows to one-off dj events, and act as a weather indicator, alternating between sunshade and rainscreen.
Aerial Axo
Using off-the-shelf mechanically-driven components, the structure extends in four directions with projecting balconies and a vertically moving trampoline. With its constantly changing form, every visit is a unique experience. Visitors circulate through lightweight transparent interior spaces, filled with inflatables and interactive sight, touch and sound exhibits. They are invited to play with the Media Wall, communicate with the athletes, drink at the bar under the ETFE roof and enjoy the moving framed views out to the Olympic grounds. The visit culminates with a bounce on the trampoline at the heart of the pavilion, linked via webcam to digital screens in Piccadilly Circus and around London.
Elevation, Plan & Axo