World of Concrete Pavilion

The World of Concrete Pavilion is an exploration of masonry’s formal and fabrication potential. Working within the 20’x20’x12’ volumetric constraint defined by the showcase brief, the pavilion pushes notions of prefabrication, reproducibility, and spatial intricacy through scalar aggregated effects. Two concrete masonry panel types – “Concave Descending” and “Convex Ascending” – stack and interlock, juxtaposing vertical smoothness and cohesion with an expressive horizontal connection that introduces human-scaled apertures for passage and occupation.

The prefabricated masonry panels are constructed using reusable plywood jigs. The jigs level and delineate the unique inflections of each block course, ensuring consistency between panels and expediting construction. With two masons and a small support team, a 12’ long by 6’ high panel can be completed in less than three hours.

The pavilion’s stacked concave and convex panels are structured and joined through a combination of strategically located vertical post-tension rods and rebar, with intermittent horizontal wire joint reinforcement and top and bottom bond beams. The reinforcement strategies are isolated at the edges where the block cells maintain alignment throughout their coursing. Consequently, vertical joints in the body of the panel are omitted, creating small slit openings for more nuanced interaction with air and light.

Through simple manipulations and defined repeatable assemblies, the pavilion demonstrates masonry’s broad formal and spatial potential. The pavilion is a conceptual interplay of continuity, connection, and contrast – expressing a variety of spatial conditions in a singular volume. An aggregation of scales from the masonry units, prefabricated panels, and enclosing walls builds on each other to stake out an expansive terrain for formal and spatial exploration. Such capability, coupled with masonry’s embedded ties to history and craft continue to reveal masonry’s singular uniqueness as a building material.