Introduction
Penumbra is a proposed shading pavilion built from carbon fiber in modular, tileable parts. It is a series of polygonal cones arranged across the site in the 15th type of pentagonal tiling, found in 2015. Carbon fiber would let the columns stay slender.
Materiality And Modularity
The pavilion uses upcycled pre-impregnated carbon fiber as a building material for a lightweight structure. The canopy is designed to be only 5 mm thick and to rise up to 5 meters above the ground.
3D-printed concrete benches are part of the structure and would let visitors rest in the shade of the canopies. 3D printing lets the benches take intricate forms without formwork.
Experience
The pentagonal tiling sets the path through the pavilion. The design aims for a large area of shade with few supports, keeping the space open.
As you walk through, the canopies rise step by step. The canopies also have openings that let light through to the space below, casting patches of sun that move through the pavilion during the day.
Three molds form all of the carbon fiber structural units. The modular approach is meant to make assembly flexible and to allow future adaptations. The modularity of the column component also allows the shading structure to be set at different heights by adding or removing a module, so the design can adapt to other sites.
Adaptable Modules
The modules could also be rearranged, or the pavilion moved to another neighborhood, keeping it in use for longer.
Flooring
A wooden border traces the outline of each polygonal cone on the deck. Within this wooden framework, a spiraling wooden infill is used for the flooring. This inward spiral is meant to give the floor a sense of movement underfoot. The proposal was developed in two options, shown below.