The Kerplunk Pavilion bridges the gap between found space and built space: not just an architecture that resembles nature, but an architecture that is nature. Like a forest or ancient European city, the rule of order is hidden from the user. A deep pattern of organization does exist, although it is not immediately apparent.
The pavilion consists of four cuboid volumes - two larger cubes each with a smaller cube suspended inside. The nesting-doll-like composition creates a gradient from interior to exterior space. The innermost cubes are clearly inside and the natural environment is clearly outside. The space between becomes more ambiguous, not exactly inside or outside.
Rendering by Kristina Fisher
The design intends that the main way people interact with the space is through exploration and adaptation. All of the spaces are suspended by a series of seemingly random, yet calculated, columns that puncture the structure in all directions. This creates a forest of columns on the inside of the pavilion. Voids are cut out around the columns to give the structure a permeable quality. The spaces are undefined, therefore, they become an improvisation of the user. By allowing users to seek out and find new ways of interacting with the space, something that appears non-functional is shown to have infinite uses. The pavilion questions the very nature of architecture and suggests that perhaps the primary role of the architect is to create spaces for people to find.
In an age when our attention is constantly controlled by technology, the Kerplunk Pavilion is a refreshing deviation. Its design is looking forward, but it is built with traditional methods we have had for hundreds of years. Buildings now account for nearly 50% of energy consumption in the US. Architecture needs to respond to the realization that the only sustainable future will be a more primitive one. The Kerplunk Pavilion calls users to pause and reflect on the state of the world as it exists in our unique time period.
