Technology
INDIVISIBLE
COMPUTATIONAL ARCHITECTURE
COLLABORATION
ROCKERLANGE ARCHITECTS
Shortlisted China Biennale 2014
A space for, and of, cultural phenomena; referencing both traditional Chinese philosophy and construction techniques, this pavilion is the result of the repetition of one single element. The meandering movement of this one element creates complex branching passages that form a multicursal maze meant for prayer, ritual, and performance. Migong, the Chinese word for labyrinth means “a perplexing palace”. In the art of building, this baffling nature is perceived in the rigorously puzzled geometry and a series of synchronized scenarios. Two
main opposed volumes interlock as one indivisible whole, implying that seemingly opposed forces are in fact interconnected, and perhaps even interdependent. The pavilion is a merging of two counterparts: density and emptiness. Within this context dualities such as inside and outside, light and dark, permanence and impermanence can be rethought as circumstances of the indivisible whole. The interconnectedness and formal clarity is understood best when seen in section, as each module is carried across a vertical path.
