DESIGN NARRATIVE

ECOPHORIA – Architecture Against Climate Change

In a world increasingly defined by climate extremes, ECOPHORIA emerges as a pavilion of response—a temporal architecture rooted in ecological responsibility, material intelligence, and aesthetic empathy. Located in a desert context, the pavilion is a performative structure that embraces impermanence and transformation, acting as a prototype for how architecture can be at once resilient and restorative.

 

Material as Message

The first gesture in the formation of ECOPHORIA is material selection—wood and biopolymer—chosen not just for performance but also for symbolism. The wooden panel structure, modular and reusable, forms the skeletal framework, bending gently into curved surfaces that mimic the natural topography of sand dunes and wind-sculpted landforms. Its strength lies not only in physical rigidity, but in its capacity for disassembly, relocation, and reincarnation—a nomadic architecture echoing the shifting nature of climate and human habitation.

 

Panel as Skin and Shield

The panel system functions as both architectural skin and environmental buffer—an intelligent membrane woven from layers of texture, tone, and craft. Designed to shield users from the harsh desert sun and abrasive dust-laden winds, it fuses cross-stitched joinery with an expressive material palette. These visible seams and stitches become aesthetic articulations of assembly, strength, and adaptability.

 

Color from the Climate

To ground the pavilion in its landscape while visually activating it, style transfer algorithms were employed. Satellite imagery of terrain rich in contrast and texture was reinterpreted into a color palette derived from plant-based dyes. Blues and greens evoke an oasis narrative, suggesting reprieve, refreshment, and the dream of regeneration within arid desolation.

 

Crafted Layers, Textural Logic

The biopolymer topping, applied through a 3-layer toolpath, is where sustainability meets surface articulation:

1. Base Layer: A pulp-sand blend forming a textured adhesive interface between wood and topping.

2. Middle Layer: 2mm above, introduces mixed hues that create a tie-dye, natural erosion-like effect, recalling patterns found in nature.

3. Top Layer: A cross-stitched visual mesh, implying cohesion—panels “stitched” together, not just physically, but narratively.

This multilayered application offers both tactile depth and functional insulation, inviting touch while protecting from heat.

 

Performance and Form

The form is aerodynamic, sculpted to harmonize with prevailing desert winds and rolling terrain. Its angled walls and ventilation slots draw cool air in and release warm air through convective flow, offering passive cooling and comfort without mechanical systems. The structure simultaneously deflects sandstorms and captures moments of breeze—designed to live with the climate rather than against it.

 

Resilience in Decay

Ultimately, ECOPHORIA is architecture designed not for permanence, but for circularity. When its role ends, the biopolymer degrades into the earth, remediating the sand and returning it to neutral ecological health. The wooden frame, still intact, moves on—ready to take shape elsewhere, to become another ECOPHORIA, in another place, for another purpose.

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ECOPHORIA is not just a pavilion; it is a living hypothesis. It is an act of architectural resistance—against climate change, against waste, against stagnation. And in its place, it proposes something more optimistic: architecture as a cycle of care, color, and conscious renewal.

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The first step to the panel design is the material. 
As the layer that serves both the external and internal division on site, the panel involves a combination of color, depth, pattern, and scale to enhance aesthetics and protect visitors from the environmental elements of harsh desert sun and dust. We chose a wood base for its rigidity and ability to be reused as a structural component that can be assembled, disassembled, and reassembled numerous times. The panel itself must have the flexibility to bend to a small degree and compose a simple curved surface from multiple panels in conjunction.

 
Cross stitching patterns on the top act as reinforcement connections between the smaller façade panel components. Panel-to-panel connections are joined by an extended seam and wooden frame structure that bends each piece into place. By using style transfer programs, we tested textures and colors from various satellite images to create a color palette. 

The process began with selecting an image that captured highly contrasted colors like blue and red, over interesting terrain. The deep blues and greens of this project were chosen to mimic an oasis in the desert scene. Additionally, these colors use plant-based dyes and organic patterns to complement the surrounding environment. 

Orientation played a key role in designing the biopolymer’s toolpath. In order to achieve interesting textural qualities that offered high fidelity to the image composition, the toolpath adopts a 3-layer system: The first layer becomes the foundation of the biopolymer, acting as the glue between the wood and biopolymer topping with its high content of paper pulp and sand. The second layer sits only 2mm above the base, create an intermixing of colors and outputting a tie dye effect. The final top layer acts as a visual cross-stitching design to give the idea of panels being held together by the biopolymer that covers it.

An aerodynamic exterior conforms to prevailing winds and the topography of hilly surroundings. Passive cooling enhanced by the carved forms of the slanted walls allows visitors to enjoy a natural breeze while stay protected from the harsh desert sun and sand storm. The final output will show a curved panel connected by panel joints and bent by a wood frame. 

Our project is meant to exist in both decay and resilience. After the use of the pavilion is terminated, biopolymers can be removed and left to biodegrade on site to remediate the sand to neutral properties. The standing wood panel structure can be disassembled and reassembled to another site and serve as a constant rotation of event pavilions in each scene.