el conTEXTO

Teaching by Doing: A Research Pavilion in Stuttgart

On the edge of the campus of the University of Stuttgart stands an unusual structure resembling a woven basket. This research pavilion has been there since the end of the summer term.

Institute for Computational Design (ICD): Achim Menges
Institute of Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE): Jan Knippers

From the 10th floor of K2, one of two high-rise slabs on the campus, it is hard to make out its scale; only the people who stream into this filigree structure of thin timber strips provide an indication of its true dimensions. Its diameter is an impressive 10 metres, and it bulges upwards over a circular concrete base that had existed unnoticed on this site for some time. When illuminated at night, the pavilion is reminiscent of an outsized Danish designer lamp, causing passing motorists to do a double take. The structure is more than just a visually attractive piece of urban furniture, however. Used for scientific research, it is unrivalled in its innovative features and the manner in which it links various disciplines.

“The starting point of our deliberations was one of the properties of plywood, the potential of which has not been exploited for structural purposes up until now,” Manuel Vollrath explains at a press conference. “What I mean by that is its elasticity, resulting from the inherent stresses in the material.” In just a few sentences, the architectural student sums up the concept on behalf of his design team: “Initially, we had to determine the characteristics of the material by measurements made with experimental rigs; in other words, [we had to find out] to what radii the plywood sheeting could be bent, and what stresses this gave rise to. The second step was to find a geometry that would allow the potential of the material to be exploited in an optimal manner, which would also result in a cogent piece of architecture in terms of both function and design.

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