Robotically Assembled BUGA Wood Pavilion

Joining the ‘BUGA fibre pavilion’ in the German city of Heilbronn is another temporary structure that serves as a pioneering architectural attraction. the ‘BUGA wood pavilion’, designed by the institute for computational design and construction (ICD) and The Institute for Building Structures and Structural Design (ITKE) at The University of Stuttgart, features a segmented wood shell that explores new approaches to digital timber construction. 

The enclosure is based on biological principles found in the plate skeleton of sea urchins, which have been studied by the ICD and the ITKE at the university of stuttgart for almost a decade. As part of the project, a robotic manufacturing platform was developed for the automated assembly and milling of the pavilion’s 376 bespoke hollow wood segments — A process that ensures that all segments fit together like a three-dimensional puzzle. The wooden roof spans a total of 30 meters (98ft) creating a large space for events and concerts.

In order to minimize material consumption and weight, each wood segment is built up from two thin plates that plank a ring of edge-beams on top and bottom, forming large scale hollow wooden cases with polygonal forms. The bottom plate includes a large opening, which constitutes a distinctive architectural feature and provides access to the hidden connections during assembly. In the assembled state, the shell works as a form-active structure through its expressive double-curved geometry.  

Each bespoke shell segment was robotically assembled. this involved the placement of preformatted timber plates and beams, their temporary fixation with beech nails, and the controlled application for the structural glue joint between plate and beam. The intricate finger-joints and openings are then machined into the segments. the entire process happens in a fully automated workflow, controlled by 2 million custom lines of robotic code. On average, the assembly time per segment is 8 minutes, with the high precision-milling taking another 20-40 minutes. 

The prefabricated shell segments were assembled in only 10 working days by a team of two craftsmen, without the usually required extensive scaffolding or formwork. After connecting all segments with removable bolts, a layer of EPDM foil was rolled over the pavilion in 8 strips to provide waterproofing. Meanwhile, untreated larch façade plates provide the external cladding of the pavilion. 

“BUGA fibre pavilion” with all these features re-determines the position of wood in designs. 

Photo Credits : Image © ICD/ITKE University of Stuttgart