NGV Pavilion

BACKGROUND Roland Snook's NGV Pavilion architectural research contributes to algorithmic design and robotic fabrication. His ongoing generative research uses behavioural processes of design that draw on the logic of swarm intelligence and operate through multi-agent algorithms. This project develops the design concept of 'fibrous mass', which is made possible through the combination of robotic fabrication processes and high population generative algorithms. CONTRIBUTION This design research of a pavilion for the National Gallery of Victoria explores the architectural implications of form, ornament, spatial conditions and tectonics, which are opened up by an innovative relationship of behavioral design processes and large-scale 3D printing. A broader contribution of this research lies in the potential applications of 3D polymer printing for sacrificial formwork in architecture. This posit a viable approach to 3D printing of buildings. SIGNIFICANCE The National Gallery of Victoria is a peak public art museum of national and international significance. The Pavilion design received a high commendation in the National Gallery of Victoria's Architecture Commission design competition and has been published in AD (Wiley, November 2016), a leading international architectural publication. NGV Pavilion has also featured in an interview with its creator in Architecture Now. This research project demonstrates possible applications of innovative algorithmic and robotic fabrication techniques that could be more broadly applied within architecture.