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Eureka Pavilion by NEX and Marcus Barnett26 May 2011

British architects NEX have designed this cubed timber pavilion for the Chelsea FlowerShow in London with the same structural form as a leaf.

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Between the gaps in the timber capillaries are smaller framework elements made fromrecycled plastic, curved to resemble leaf cells.

When Chelsea Flower Show ends this weekend, the Eureka Pavilion will be moved toKew Gardens for the summer season.

More stories about pavilions on Dezeen »

The following details are from the architects:

NEX complete innovative ‘bio-mimicry’ design for The Times Eureka Pavilion atChelsea Flower Show.

NEX is delighted to contribute to creating a benchmark in integrated design at thisyear’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show (Tuesday May 24th to Saturday May 28th) workingwith Buro Happold and Chelsea Gold Medallist Marcus Barnett on the creation of apavilion for The Times Eureka Garden, in association with the Royal Botanic Gardens,Kew.

The Times commissioned Marcus Barnett Landscape Architects to design and build thegarden demonstrating a commitment to science and reflecting the focus of The Timesmonthly science magazine, Eureka. Barnett asked award winning NEX Architecture todesign the Eureka Pavilion, and appointed Buro Happold to provide structuralengineering. Plant species chosen for the Eureka Garden reflect their benefits tosociety including medicinal, commercial and industrial uses underlining the fact wecould not survive without them. The pavilion design brief was to reflect the sametheme.

NEX Principal Alan Dempsey says: “We extended the design concepts of the garden bylooking closely at the cellular structure of plants and their processes of growth toinform the design’s development. The final structure was designed using computeralgorithms that mimic natural growth and is intended to allow visitors to experiencethe patterns of biological structure at an unfamiliar scale. The primary structure istimber sourced from sustainable spruce forests with a glass panelled roof.”

The design development of the pavilion focused on the ‘bio-mimicry’ of leaf capillariesbeing embedded in the walls. The structural geometry was finalised to use primarytimber capillaries (300dp x 140wd) to form the basic shape and supporting structureof the pavilion, inset with secondary timber cassettes that hold the cladding. Followingcompletion of the 3D modelling to meet architectural and structural needs, specialistSwiss timber fabricators Blumer Lehmann undertook detailed analysis and digitalmanufacturing of the structure.

Click above for larger image

The walls and roof are clad with recycled plastic ‘cells’ that frame views out to thegarden. Rain water literally runs down the capillaries in the walls of the cube from theroof into the ground. The pavilion sits on a timber raft constructed from 400mm deepspruce beams. Sand ballast fills the voids between the raft timbers to give the pavilion

increased weight to resist uplift from wind loads.

Nothing will remain in the ground after the structure is dismantled and transported tothe Royal Botanical Gardens at Kew where it will be erected along with the rest of theTimes Eureka Garden, against the backdrop of Kew’s historical UNESCO WorldHeritage Site landscape. It is hoped the garden will be open to the public from earlyJuly for the summer months.

If you like the project please show your support by voting in the People’s ChoiceAward before tomorrow at 4pm.

Project: Times Eureka PavilionLocation: London UKKey dates: RHS Chelsea opening 22 May 2011, Kew Gardens opening June –December 2011Client: The London Times, Royal Botanic Gardens at KewArchitect Team: NEX – Alan Dempsey, Paul Loh, Michal Piasecki, Tomasz StarczewskiJames ChungCollaborators: Marcus Barnett Landscape Design, Buro Happold Engineering