FABRIC Wins Competition for a Temporary Pavilion in the King's Garden in Copenhagen

The entry Trylletromler by Dutch practice FABRIC has won the international design competition for a temporary pavilion in the King's Garden in Copenhagen. The completed pavilion is scheduled to open to the public on September 13.

Project Description from the Architects:

The design is named ‘Trylletromler’, the Danish name for the 19th century invention of the ‘Zoetrope’.

The competition, issued at the end of January 2013 by Akademisk Arkitektforening, the Danish Architects' Association in cooperation with the local department in Copenhagen, invited architects to design a temporary pavilion located in the King's Garden, that should be accessible, public, innovative, removable and challenging in its idiom. At the same time there will be limited financial means for realization.

The Renaissance garden design of Rosenborg Castle is the oldest known example of garden design in Denmark. The design draws heavely on principles of Euclidean geometry. This language of absolute space, was long regarded as the construction principle of the world. Architecture, urbanism and landscape design essentially were aiming to create order out of chaos using absolute shapes: line, square, triangle, sphere and cone. The Baroque alterations of the original design introduced maze like elements in the grid, diagonal paths and the elaboration of the two tree- lined avenues: Kavalergangen and Damegangen. After these alterations the garden was never drastically changed. This classical representation of space was meticulously maintained until today.

The question to design a pavilion for the Kings Garden in Copenhagen thus offers the challenge to introduce a new understanding of space. An understanding of space that poses questions rather than answers. An understanding that blurs absolute boundaries and clear separation. And an understanding that allows ambivalence and hybridity. In this situation FABRIC proposes a ‘blurring strategy’ by replacing the understanding of a pavilion, with the most elementary architectural element in garden design: the fence.

The strategy of ‘blurring’ addresses three independent paradoxes by provoking the notions inside and outside, by  introducing a maze that is paradoxically transparent and by creating an illusion of motion. First of all, the fence as a freestanding structure is designed to restrict movement across a boundary. By folding and wrinkling the fence on the location, it produces new meanings of being spatially included or excluded.

By secondly forcing openings in the fence, the boundary that is described by it will become penetrable. In this curving fence a series of openings are cut using absolute shapes like circle, rectangle, triangle and parabola, creating a series of straight and stippling paths through the pavilion. Most openings appear as a partly raising of a curtain. One cut in the fence however seems without reason. This small irregular cut near Rosenburg Caste only allows kids into the pavilion, escaping their parents gaze, exploring a new view on the world. By avoiding placing the openings on obvious routes of straight lines of sight, visitors are forced to find their way out of the sequence of spaces created by the fence, which acts like a see through maze.

Thirdly, the fence gives new meaning by its potential to create the illusion of motion via the so called moiré patterns while moving along the fence. The fence is made out of three thousand standard pieces of Nordic timber, that are joined using an irregular pattern of wedges. The repetitive openings between the bars of the fence and their connections create a continuous moving image. When one thinks of a fence made out of sticks with narrow vertical slits arranged on a circular layout the image of a Zoetrope - or ‘wheel of life’ - jumps to mind. This 19th century device triggers an impression of movement within a still image, making it look alive hence introducing a new understanding of space.

Based on these three principles an intriguing floor plan was designed using a composition of ten perfect circles. The plan design reacts to given circumstances such as the exit of the rose garden, the statue at the water, sightlines towards the castle, existing tree lines and the position of solitary trees. The jury emphasized the experiential qualities of the ‘Trylletromler’. The spatial quality offered by the pavilion is supported by the many rooms and directions users can explore. Especially considering the fact that the pavilion will be erected in late summer. In this season the Kings Garden is visited intensively, where the pavilion will act as a testimony of current knowledge and opportunities within the architectural profession. According to the jury the project therefore demonstrates the best desire and ability of architects to challenge and innovate the concept of the pavilion.

"We are very pleased that we can support this initiative - after international model – to have a pavilion build here in Denmark for the very first time. Both the Danish and international public will have the opportunity to see alternative and innovative solutions for the construction industry. This is fully in line with our aim to support projects that promote the architectural profession from development and interaction with the community", says Bo Rygaard, CEO of The Dreyer Foundation, which has supported the competition.

The winning proposal will now be further processed and implemented in cooperation with the Copenhagen Technical College, Moelven A / S,  the Danish Architects' Association and its local department in Copenhagen before the opening of the pavilion on 13 September 2013 in the King's Garden.

Project Details:

Team FABRIC: design directors: Eric Frijters, Olv Klijn; project team: Greta Mozzachiodi, Guillermo Lavernia, Charlotte Simpson and Ida Fløche Moller 

Construction Team: MOELVEN Denmark A/S, Copenhagen Technical College 

Financial Support: The Dreyer Foundation, Danmarks Nationalbank's Anniversary Foundation, National Arts Foundation, MOELVEN Denmark A/S, Copenhagen Technical College, The Danish Architects' Association 

Exhibition: The in total 83 proposals that were handed in are on display at the Danish Architects' Association from May 13 to August 1. Admission to the exhibition is free during opening hours. 

Public Opening: September 13, 2013

Find more project renderings in the image gallery below.