International architect Will Alsop’s design for the Architecture Pavilion at Interbuild 2006 will feature materials from engineered timber supplier Finnforest Merk.
The pavilion – one of the main features of the structural sector at the exhibition at the NEC, Birmingham on April 23-27 – will yet again demonstrate the versatility of Finnforest Merk’s products.
Last year the company supplied kerto, its own laminated veneer lumber, for the Alvaro Siza and Eduardo Souto de Moura designs for the Serpentine Gallery.
The latest architectural challenge is constructed of three conventional walls and a Finnforest feature wall consisting of interlocking curved kerto sheets.
Julia Feix of Alsop Architrects said: “The wall appears slender and delicate at first, yet is is self supportive and designed with the intention that visitors can interact with the structure – walking through it and under it, even sitting on it.”
Warren Dudding, UK marketing manager at Finnforest Merk, said: “This is a remarkable feat of design in terms of its unusual conception – it really challenges the perception of wood as a structural material, how it can be used and what it can do, which is exactly what we asked Will Alsop to do.”
