wing-fold pavillion | franklin field | upenn

PennDesign 2013
Seminar Instructor - Mark T Nicol
Design Team - Luke Prifogle + Jason Potter [contributor]

This pavilion is the result of an exploration of structural and material  principals. We began by testing what kind of forms would arise from simply folding sheets of paper. Through this process, two types of structuring principals stood out: the folded plate and the cantilever. The given site, the north side of Franklin Field at the University of Pennsylvania, became the testing grounds for these principals. Through different iterations, a form of two soaring cantilevered wings supported by trusses and an arch in the center became the basis for the pavilion. Visual structural tests were conducted to inform the material selection for the pavilion, in which aluminum was selected to provide a lightweight solution. The detailing of connections was the next step in which a hinge, wall, ground, and truss connection was designed. This pavilion could act as a new, inviting space to the entrance to the facilities at Franklin Field.