Flexo InForm: An Innovative Assembly Pavilion

Exploring Geometric-Material Performance in Architecture

The design process for Flexo InForm was inspired by the weaving of natural fibers typical of the Argentine Littoral region. The designers embarked on a journey to create an innovative design process based on the generation of algorithms oriented to the performance of geometric materials. The result is a prototype that uses active bending behavior as a design tool applied to structures that base their geometry on the elastic deformation of laminar elements.

Flexo InForm stands out due to its unique properties. The design improves the operational relationship between optimization and discretization processes of complex geometries, leading to a new structural performance. The final shape of the Pavilion is just one of the many possible variations of the algorithm created, allowing for a range of pre-designed variables for contextual adaptation.

The production process of Flexo InForm is as innovative as its design. The pavilion is built with 3mm multi laminated Guatambu wooden plates, flexed using a physical simulation algorithm. The simple assembly of non-serialized components is carried out on site in three stages, making the structure easily transportable and adaptable to any terrain topography.

The design team faced significant challenges in the creation of Flexo InForm. Traditional structural calculations limit the amount of bending to simplify the typological behavior of a system. However, the team leveraged the bending of a material to create complex and extremely light designs, achieving greater structural rigidity. This required the creation of algorithms that control the admissible ranges, optimizing the geometric-material performance.

Flexo InForm is not just an architectural marvel but also an ecological, reusable, recyclable, and sustainable pavilion. It was assembled in 2 hours and was available for 1 month for outdoor activities of students and professors of the Faculty of Architecture, Design and Urbanism of the National University of the Littoral (FADU-UNL, Santa Fe Argentina). This design was awarded Golden in A' Generative, Algorithmic, Parametric and AI-Assisted Design Award in 2021, reflecting its extraordinary excellence and impact in the world of design.