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Architects: Architectkidd
- Year: 2012
Text description provided by the architects. The BOI (Board of Investment) Fair is a major event that aims to demonstrate Thailand's rebuilding efforts among public and private sectors after last year's floods. The objective of the Bridgestone Pavilion is to communicate the company's commitment to the country in manufacturing, research and investment. With an emphasis on showcasing emerging technologies, Architectkidd had the opportunity to implement design approaches and features that are relatively unique among current standard construction practices in Thailand.
The building design was generated based on 3-dimensional spatial requirements. The starting points were the interior functions, building heights and site boundaries, as well as the continuous flow of visitors from entrance, exhibitions, to exit. The requirements were digitized volumetrically and merged to form the overall building, with the exterior a result of optimizing the interior spaces while minimizing extraneous elements such as additional edges, corners, and leftover spaces.
During construction, the structural design and steel fabrication team engineered 66 steel profiles - each with a distinct shape and curvature. All steel elements were hand-made and prefabricated before installing on the site.
For the finishes, the collaboration with Bridgestone allowed access to its extensive polymers expertise. One example is the use of EVA heat-reflecting film laminated on the glass windows and doors of the pavilion. Bridgestone also supplied materials for light-transmitting solar panels (installed as a roof skylight) as well as flexible roofing membranes. The entrance of the pavilion is made from elastic PVC fitted across pre-formed steel profiles.
