One of the highlights of the Circular Economy in Architecture and Design exhibition is the project, ‘The Mobile Break Pavilion’. It is the work of Malte Harrig, a student on the CITAstudio programme. Malte has designed a pavilion, which will give busy
urban people a chance to unwind and breathe deeply for a moment – even though the world is rushing past in a steady stream.
Cities are growing. More people are gathered in a small amount of space and the hectic activity of everyday life gives rise to stress in many people. We need to learn to find peace in new ways in order to live a good life together.
The Break Pavilion is one of many solutions to this need for places, where we can relax and settle down without having to perform. The idea is to devise a creative setting for a positive break. It can be an integral part of urban life: in the park, at work, in public transport and other public spaces. Here you can settle, sit or lie down, and listen to soundscapes and meditation poetry through headphones, before returning to reality with renewed energy and presence.
The Break Pavilion is a physical, sensory space, in which the materials create a connection to nature. The pavilion’s ‘shells’ make up a soft, protective screen and provide insulation against surrounding noise, so you are at once inside the room and part of the whole. It is built in traditional combinations of materials such as timber, Zostera and metal, and investigates new idioms and methods of manufacture in line with the sustainable aesthetics of tomorrow. All components can be taken apart, recycled and included in new material circuits.
The use of the sea grass, Zostera comes from the desire to investigate what opportunities and challenges are entailed in creating a pavilion, which, on one hand, needs to create good resonance for sound and music and, on the other, create a shield against the noise from outside. Zostera is a ‘rediscovered’ natural resource that has not been used for many years. It is harvested when it is washed up on the beach, where it would otherwise remain and decay.
The final Break Pavilion will be able to accommodate up to 10 people, and will be ready for set up in summer 2018.
The pavilion was developed in collaboration with Citinside.