The Seaweed Pavilion

INDIVIDUAL PROFESSIONAL WORK

Professional Design Work with Monika Jakaityte

YEAR: Aug 2019-Present

ADDRESS: 29N Guldbergsgade, 2200 København N

SUPPORT: Boligfonden Spirekasse (March 2019)

BUILD TEAM: Gabriel Pantoja, Andrejs Mocalovs, James Birkenshaw

CHOSEN FOR FUTURE ARCHITECTURE PLATFORM 2020

Project Description: Vernacular construction methods are often unexplored sustainable solutions, with local materials and builders. The Seaweed Pavilion studies a return to ethical, community building, and the impact it can have on the individuals participating. The pavilion was built at the Copenhagen School of Design and Technology, with a build team of former and current students at the school.

Eelgrass was once used as an insulation material and as roofing on the island of Læsø. The material is rot resistant, fire resistant, is non-toxic, and can support local plant life, yet there is a lot of prejudice against seaweed as a building material. By creating a public pavilion and inviting people to take a seat under the seaweed, we can begin to change perception on this eco-friendly material.

Render by Monika Jakaityte and Kathryn Larsen

Gabriel Pantoja built the newest panel prototype structure’s. Monika Jakaityte assisted with 3D modeling and BIM, to create costing and estimate the structure’s stability and weight. In addition to creating shop drawings, she also helped finalize the proposal to the school. On installation day, she helped thatch the 15 panels with me. Andrejs Mocalovs and James Birkenshaw built the entire pavilion structure and advised on strengthening the final design.

The pavilion is designed for disassembly, so that it can be taken apart and moved or disassembled and all materials recycled.

The pavilion is based on a modular concept. Different modules can be built and arranged on site as desired. This allows for some flexibility on funding and location.

In August 2019 we successfully proposed our concept to KEA Campus Service and received permission to build on site. The pavilion was built on November 8, 9, and 10 at KEA.