Deep non Skin pavilion | Built project 

The project was designed and built during a workshop-competition held in spring 2017 in Shiraz, Iran, located in an urban plaza in front of historical Afif-Abad Garden complex. The competition brief asked for an alternative architectural pavilion with the theme “Architecture in Broder Space”. Our project named “Deep Non-Skin” sought to produce an architectural object that beyond its unconventional reading of notion of border and experience of interior and exterior, maintains its strong presence as an architectural object independent of the subject. Due to the historical and natural significance of the sit and the idea to increase the public’s interaction, the project’s main idea was to negate the concept of border as a closed system, barrier, and shelter and move towards a design that allows for the immediate continuance of urban space and public flow; to redefine the border condition from a restrict line to an open spectrum.

The designed pavilion scheme is based on a grid system due to the grid’s inherent ability to generate systems of infinite complexity; inclusive ye heterogeneous fields of almost unlimited diversity. The grid is capable of sustaining an order that is simultaneously strong and weak. To achieve such design objective, the project is placed on a network of 25 points at the area specified for our project. The pavilion is composed of 23 identical tall and narrow double-sided screens. To create ever-changing spatial sequences, and a non-linear relation with the site, the screens are designed into different

types; some fixed and some fully-rotary, mostly covered by mirrored steel sheets one side and solid metal sheets on the other side, and a few are double-sided mirrored screens. Two of the points on the original grid are left with no screens to further differentiate the spatial experience.

The duality produced in the screens whether mirrored, opaque, fixed or rotating, constantly effects the density of the images and space, creating different visual and spatial sequences and increase the users’ interaction with the pavilion. Images of the fragments of the site’s elements mediate between the mirrors and create novel optical and physical settings. People can enter the pavilion without total detachment from the exterior, move the very tall screens and create overlays of moving reflections: of the city, the landscape, clouds, and people.