London-based practice Five Line Projects has completed the Energy Pavilion as part the 2016 Triumph Pavilion competition at the Museum Gardens in Bethnal Green, London, next to the Victoria and Albert Museum of Childhood. The Triumph Pavilion project is an annual showcase and on the whole a unique and exciting celebration of architecture and design. The brief called for the provision of an inspirational and engaging structure or space based on the theme of “energy” where visiting architects, designers, families and the general public can stand, walk-through or seat around to admire and engage with each other to enjoy and share discussions about design or simply relax within the unique setting and space created by the pavilion.
Five Line Projects clever and enchanting architectural design addresses the difficulty of a comprehensive definition of energy because of its many forms with an interpretation that very much takes the site into context, is inclusive, interactive and accessible.
The Energy Pavilion as a self-supporting structure measures approximately 2.75 metres in height and 64 sqm, constructed out of bamboo, stainless steel rods, timber and polished aluminium. Supported by solid steel brackets, structured steel ground anchors with carbon steel heads, the entire structure weighs approximately 9,000 kg (9 tonnes).
Inspired by the classic children’s toy, the pinwheel, the Energy Pavilion is a catalogue of mills upheld by a forest of pillars. Each wheel is systematically aligned to the others on the rod pillar, so a spin of a single wheel triggers movement of the adjacent wheel signifying the idea that the action of a single individual triggers a chain reaction by a greater number, positively influencing the wider community.
all images by Sergio Grazia and Luc Boegly