Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Rose Pavilion opening at ETH Zurich


The opening of the Rose Pavilion at the Polyterrasse of the ETH in Zurich will take place on July 23 at 8 pm.

This multimedia pavilion has been developed by a group of young architects under the direction of Dimitry Demin in collaboration with the ETH Chair for Computer Aided Architectural Design CAAD, led by Prof. Dr. Ludger Hovestadt.  It will be open to the public July 28-30 on the Polyterrasse of ETH, which commands views over the rooftops of Zurich.

The structure of the 1.2-ton pavilion is divided into five columns. The main supporting parts are harmoniously joined together from the dome. The pavilion areas consist of curved, weather and scratch resistant aluminum sheets glued and bolted together into a Möbius stripThe Möbius strip, discovered by the Leipzig mathematician and astronomer August Ferdinand Möbius, has the mathematical property of being non-orientable and has a surface with only one side and one boundary component.  Thus the endless form revolves around itself.

The use of modern media technology generates a network of spaces which allow visitors to watch live shows or immerse themselves in diverse artistic and musical experiences. Projections transform the pavilion into a space/time capsule.

The idea for the Rose Pavilion was inspired by late XIX and early XX century freestanding constructions that served the purpose of outdoor entertainment. The polygonal structure of the pavilion was derived from the natural beauty of Wildrose Rosaceae Rosa canina, a rose which has a pentagonal symmetry and a double curvature of its petals. The pavilion was developed in Zurich and, as a modern spatial aesthetic object, acts as a focal point and brings people together. The music and voice reproductions of the oscillating surface of the pavilion produce a piezoelectric effect, transforming it into a large speaker.

The Rose Pavilion was designed by Dimitry Demin (architect), Jürgen S. Wassink (engineer) and Achilleas Xydis (architect and robot Support production): www.rose-pavilion.com 

The authors thank the sponsors and material suppliers who have made it possible to realize the construction of the pavilion: Novelis AG, Libs, Hasler + Co AG, Switzerland Sika AG, TRUMPF Maschinen AG, Kamoo AG, Blumer-Lehmann AG, Haller AG, Lift-Ex AG.


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