Effix Pavilion, Bulgaria, 2016

Design for an ice cream shop pavilion competition in Varna, Bulgaria, organized by a concrete manufacturer. To express the versatility of concrete, we designed a curtain-like pavilion composed of interconnected modules inspired by ice crystals. While the reference to ice may seem literal for an ice cream shop, we were interested in the geometric properties of ice crystals. The hexagonal symmetry of ice crystals produces countless variations from a simple geometric rule. Its ability to establish local order while permitting global freedom suggested an alternative way of expressing the potential of concrete. Rather than a conventional grid, the pavilion is formed as a variable-density network. Connected through pin joints, it can move and deform like a curtain. The result is an unexpected image of concrete: soft, flexible, and dynamic. In Varna, the concrete piers of the Black Sea are part of the everyday landscape. By transforming concrete into a moving surface, the pavilion echoes the shifting waves of the sea and invites visitors to rediscover the Black Sea not as a fixed edge, but as a landscape of continuous change.

Images : Archiee studio