The Meranti pavilion was created for the AIA Conference on Architecture 2017 expo in Orlando, Florida.  It utilises local Malaysian hardwood, known as ‘meranti’, and is designed to showcase the beauty and versatility of this material. Commissioned by the Malaysian Timber Council, the pavilion forms part of the organisation’s initiative to promote the use of local wood sourced from sustainable forests as a building material.

The design brief requires a structure that is easily assembled and dismantled, facilitating the reuse of the timber pavilion in multiple locations worldwide. As such, the pavilion is designed based on the concept of modularity, where each module is approximately 600mm wide by 700mm high and 165mm deep – small enough to be handled by one person, allowing forease of assembly. There are 232 identical modules in total, which will be stacked, slotted, and then screwed together to form a simple rectangular pavilion measuring 6 m by 6 m by 3.4 m in height.

The Meranti Pavilion features a lattice-like design, characterised by a repeating motif of overlapping squares and protruding rectangular sections in a three-dimensional arrangement. The geometrical pattern of meranti wood, in its natural colour of rich, reddish-brown, refers to the warm feel and intricacy of local traditional woodwork. There are no vertical columns or beams to hold up the pavilion; instead, the modular elements work together in a locked system to provide stability to the overall structure. The corners are held together by special butterfly metal angles which link the pavilion walls at the pointed corners of each module.

Workshop Photos by Pixelaw
AIA Expo Photos by Root Photography, Florida