A 3D-printed pavilion made from recycled plastic

To complete this project, Hassell—the company behind numerous innovative architectural designs—and Nagami have joined forces with creative collective to.org, a platform dedicated to philanthropic projects.

How can architecture respond to the climate crisis?

The prototype’s construction contains various clever elements that respond to the climate challenge. In colder climates, the pavilion will be hermetically sealed, and its outer layer will feature fins designed to capture snow and create a layer of natural insulation—similar to how snow insulates igloos. In hotter climates, overlapping fins provide natural shading, promoting passive cooling, cross ventilation and water collection.

“Our goal is to create a pavilion that can run without electricity while being able to adapt to the local climate and leave as little carbon footprint as possible,” explains Xavier De Kestelier, head of design at Hassell.

Achieving a modular design with 3D printing

The pavilion is manufactured using a robotic arm equipped with a nozzle capable of depositing plastic filaments, in this case, recycled ones.

“As a Creative Director, my aim is to encourage those in the arts, design, hospitality, philanthropy, and construction to act responsibly and utilise waste plastic effectively," concludes Xavier De Kestelier. “Treating waste plastic as the inexhaustible resource that it is and demonstrating a commitment to the circular economy will help reduce pollution and reverse the effects of climate change.”

This new-style pavilion is fully customised. It is easy to transport and can even be assembled on-site! Aside from offering great freedom of design, 3D printing also provides an individual response to climate issues, as it enables the structure to be customised to suit its environment, whatever that may be.

The prototype is currently under construction at the Nagami factory in Spain. 

More information:
https://www.hassellstudio.com