AIA Pavilion in New Orleans, Louisiana

Gernot Riether is using digital design and fabrication techniques to reintroduce plastic as a building material for light-weight and inexpensive structures. The project provides a new aesthetic for environmentally friendly architecture, changing our perception of plastic from an environmentally problematic to a “green” material.

AIA Pavilion

• Architects: Gernot Riether, Georgia Institute of Technology
• Project: Pavilion
• Location: New Orleans
• Client: AIA
• Area: 18m2
• Project Team: Gernot Riether, Valerie Bolen, Rachel Dickey, Emily Finau, TasnouvaHabib, Knox Jolly, Pei-Lin Liao, Keith Smith, April Tann
• Design software used: Rhino, Grasshopper, AlphaCAM
• Material: PETGs (glycol-modified polyethylene terephthalate)
• Fabrication:
  • CNC: 25 hours machining time
  • Thermoforming: Techniques used: drape forming, vacuum forming and draping
• Number of pieces: 320
• Portability: The pavilion can be disassembled. The pavilions cells can be stocked and moved with a mini Truck
• Assembly: Bolt connections. Assembly time: 2 days
• Fabricated at: DFL, Digital Fabrication Laboratory at Georgia Institute of Technology
• Special Thanks to: Russell Gentry and Andres Cavieres

AIA Pavilion

The project was selected for realization at an annual AIA call of entries that asked for an intervention that brings to life the historic city of New Orleans. Gernot Riether’s project suggested a series of event spaces sited within usually hidden, private courtyards. At night the pavilions would transform into event spaces and reverse the cities’ fabric: What was a private space during the day would become a public space for music and other events at night.

Exterior View

Using PETG as a material suggests a negative carbon footprint. PETG can be produced from sugarcane and can be recycled. Currently the chemical industry is changing it’s production of plastic fromfossil-fuel plastic to bioplasticwhich might make plastic the building material for the 21^st century.

AIA Pavilion

The pavilion is build from 320 different triangular cells. The edges of each cell are folded. Connecting the cells the folds form a complex geodesic system. The surface within the cell is transformed to respond to different functions such as seating, support for light fixtures, plant holders of rainwater collectors. The complex geometry of the cells allowed combiningstructure and envelope in a single material system.

AIA Pavilion

Using scripting to design the pavilion and using a flexible mold to thermoform each cell allowedto customize each cell according to different functions and context.

Details

To minimize the amount of material used for the envelope and to create a light-weight structure the envelope generates wormholes that act brace- and column-like and increase the surface tension. The formation of wormholes within the surface allowed to light weight structure of total 123 kg.

AIA Pavilion

The pavilion reflects Gernot Riether’s 5 points that lead to a more environmentally friendly architecture:

1) Build from bio-materials that can be recycled.
Architecture and ground can become one.

2) Avoid typological thinking.
Single systems can be flexible enough to respond to multiple functions.

3) Combine digital and physical spaces.
Digital media has changed our perception,which will also informphysical space.

4) Mass customize building systems and system components.
This will allow for more intense relationships between architecture and other systems.

5) Let geometry emerge as a consequence of interactions, matter and material behavior.
Natural and artificial systems will become indistinguishable.

Details

AIA Pavilion

AIA Pavilion

AIA Pavilion

AIA Pavilion

AIA Pavilion

Gernot Riether

Gernot Riether

Tags: LA, New Orleans

Categories: AlphaCAM, Grasshopper, Pavilion, Rhino

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