Architect Hsieh Ying Chun has collaborated with a Theoretical Condition of Architecture (TCA) Think Tank and students from Australia, Europe and China to produce an arching metal pavilion for the 2014 Venice Architecture Biennale.

Titled “Parasite Pavilion”, the installation was constructed during an intensive, five-day workshop for the Biennale’s ‘Synergy & Symbiosis’ - a showcase of the best of the Chinese Biennale from 2005 to 2014.

The pavilion is based on the ‘Bug Dome’, which was originally developed for the Shenzhen Hong Kong Bicity Biennale in 2009 by WEAK! Architects, as an icon of illegal building for the use of the people.

The new structure is made up of locally produced, industrial materials, including wires, metal nets, and PVC pipes, which form the frame and cover for a series of self-sustaining arches.

Referencing various concepts of traditional Chinese design, the pavilion’s spatial layout is dictated by two guiding curves that define areas of compression and expansion as the scale of interior spaces progressively increases.

A ground cover of gravel in various sizes also corresponds to the scale of the individual spaces.

“Parasite Pavilion” is positioned outside the Chinese Pavilion at the 2014 Biennale, offering visitors shade, protection and a tangible architectural experience.

Video: TCS Think Tank

Courtesy Arch Daily