Rejecting the notion of cultural pavilion as an object in a plaza, the China Pavilion is conceived as a field of spaces located beneath a floating cloud.
‘China Pavilion’ (Photograph courtesy of Studio Link-Arc LLC)
Based in New York City, Studio Link-Arc, LLC, is an international team of architects and designers that collaborates across disciplines to work in urbanism, architecture, exhibition design, and digital environments in the context of the new challenges of our time. The name, Link-Arc, refers to our collaborative nature and our mission, which is to connect knowledge, resources, and intelligence to understand the role of architecture in a global world.
We approach architectural practice as the creation of a new nature, aimed at establishing a meaningful relationship between people, nature, and culture. We uncover the essential truths unique to each project and translate them into material, form, and space.
Yichen Lu, Principal of Studio Link-Arc, founded his design practice in 2012. Prior to starting Link-Arc, he was a project manager at Steven Holl Architects, where managed the firm’s many award-winning projects in China. He is also an associate professor at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
A layer of shingled bamboo panels covers the roof, adding texture and depth to the Pavilion’s silhouette and creating evocative light and shadow effects on the building’s translucent waterproofing membrane. These roof panels were designed via a uniquely digital process, which began by programming their geometry directly using Processing. This was followed by an intense optimization and rationalization effort intended to ensure that the panels would closely follow the roof form while streamlining fabrication and construction.