GG-loop, blending biophilia with parametric design, explores the archetype of the primordial refuge, inviting reflection on the origins of architecture and the anthropological relationship between mankind and the natural environment, fundamental to necessary regeneration of the planet.
Giacomo Garziano Ph. Jan Willem Kaldenbach
Echinoidea is a modular timber shell measuring 6 x 6 x 6 metres which offers visitors a contemplative, enveloping experience of refuge within its cocoon and a different outlook on the University’s courtyard from a place enriched with privacy and protection. “It is an interpretation of a natural, organic space with the archaic function of a shelter, inspired by that aquatic species the sea urchin, or Echinoidea, which offers valuable insight into our ecosystem because it aids assessment of general acidification of the oceans, temperatures and ecological impacts”, explains Giacomo Garziano, the mind, together with GG-loop, behind this installation built by Rubner Haus.
“We adopted this animal’s unusual bilateral symmetry in our biomimetic approach, rendering it, through an optimised manufacturing process, as a pavilion composed of identical sections of timber louvres. The aim was to cut construction times and waste, reducing the structure’s ecological footprint to zero”, Garziano continues. This biophilic and regenerative approach translates, from a technical perspective, into a parametric system consisting of 1 km of wooden beams, making the pavilion flexible, easily assembled, highly sustainable and recyclable.
