In collaboration with architecture practice Hassell, Architectural Association's Association's Emergent Technologies and Design (EmTech) programme created a reclaimed wood pavilion, exploring the convergence of computational design, new construction technologies, and material reuse. Titled Re-Emerge, the project addresses the issue of limited material resources, exploring the architectural potential of material recycling in the context of generative design.
Built using wood pallets reclaimed from timber recycling facilities around London, the structure is an exploration of material reuse and an exercise in building complexity using simple gestures and few principles. The structure comprises a series of structural ribs made by scoring and steam-bending the wood, assembled with lap joints. The project involved a Life Cycle Assessment for the reclaimed timber, which was made available to the pavilion visitors via an app.
For the last couple of decades, architects have often focused on the performance of buildings and minimising operational carbon within them. But with the need to tackle climate change more urgently, we also need to look at embodied carbon. Re-Emerge was a great way for the students to start embedding this approach in their design. – Xavier De Kestelier, Principal and Head of Design at Hassell
The project reinstates an AA tradition of "testing ideas at scale" on Bedford Square through collaborations between academic programmes and architectural practices. After November 25th, the structure will be disassembled, with part of it set to be reinstalled in Hassell'sHassell's London offices, while the rest will be sent back to the timber recycling facilities.
