Pabellón de Seda

Paloma Cañizares

Patio COAR – Concéntrico 09

The silk pavilion is the first project on reinforced fabrics, an investigation into the structural possibilities of textiles. If we understand the structure of the fabric as the reinforcement of a slab, stiffen it and fold it, we can obtain a self-supporting surface of extraordinary slenderness and lightness. If this element is shaped in a mould, we can create a modular prefabricated element that is both a structure and an enclosure with a simple and highly versatile assembly system.

Silk is one of the strongest natural fibres; at the same section it is four times stronger than steel. This provides us with a fabric that, when stiffened, would have quantifiable structural possibilities. The lightness of silk is another of the qualities we are interested in in order to achieve the strength-lightness binomial we are looking for.

The geometry is the next fundamental factor in making it self-supporting and here the formal possibilities are infinite, although it is necessary to adapt to the limitations of the width of the fabrics, 1.35 m. in this case. For this first pavilion, a simple three-pointed element has been drawn to make the mould. This will be repeated 12 times to form a dodecagon. The resulting ensemble is stable in itself, it is a structure, an enclosure and creates a space. All from a 0.5 mm thick element used mainly in clothing and decoration.
The result is a star-shaped pavilion, hence its golden warmth. Inside, the perforated skin lets in rays of light, this time from another star, the one that illuminates us every day.

Our research seeks new construction possibilities: faster, lighter, modular, reusable, adaptable and with infinite plastic possibilities. We believe in the interconnection of disciplines and the scalability of systems, in the use of simple elements for complex solutions and in the qualities of spaces as vehicles that influence the emotional states of the beings that inhabit them.