V&A to showcase tulipwood CLT pavilion
25 May 2018Waugh Thistleton Architects, the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and ARUP are collaborating to present Multiply –†a 9m-high modular cross-laminated tulipwood pavilion. The pavilion will be located in the Sackler Courtyard of the V&A Museum from September 15.
MultiPly, one of the London Design Festival’s Landmark projects, will comprise a maze-like series of interconnected spaces and is intended to encourage visitors to re-think the way we design build our homes and cities.
The three-dimensional structure will be built out of a flexible system, made of 17 modules of American tulipwood cross-laminated timber (CLT) with digitally fabricated joints. Like a piece of flat-packed furniture, it will arrive as a kit of parts and will be assembled in under a week.
‘MultiPly’ confronts two of the current age’s biggest challenges – the dire need for housing and the urgency to fight climate change and presents the fusion of modular systems and sustainable construction materials as a solution.
“The main ambition of this project is to publicly debate how environmental challenges can be addressed through innovative, affordable construction,” said Andrew Waugh, co-founder of Waugh Thistleton. “We are at a crisis point in terms of both housing and CO2 emissions and we believe that building in a versatile, sustainable material such as tulipwood is an important way of addressing these issues.”
