Student pavilion: gridshell by Reading students working with Invisible Studio

The ’PreCursor project’ was built without mechanical fixings or any tools, working at height, and the whole project was carried out in five days including the design and construction.

It used ‘same section’ 15mm x 100mm unseasoned home-grown larch throughout from the woodland that Invisible Studio manages alongside its practice. The entire 60m² structure – a ‘dry laminated’ gridshell – is bound together with cable ties, enabling the structure to be dismantled in one day by two people and the timber reused by the university for a similar project next year.

Project data

Start on site and completion June 2017
Client University of Reading School of Architecture
Tutors Piers Taylor and Charley Brentall, Invisible Studio, Zoe Berman and Jim Symon, University of Reading Students: Adam Dobson, Amy Sharp, Aston Oakes, Daniel Wightman, Ethan Cherrett, Gina Dinesen, Harrison Clare, Henry Winstanley, Holly Burchett, Humaira Khan, Kimberley Pearce, Leila Atallah, Loai Alnouri, Louise Read, Luke Maguire, Maria Paolini, Paniz Alizadeh-Irani, Rawan Alwahaibi, Reem Jomaa, Sharanka Kulasingam, Sophie Davies, Timothy MacKenzie, Torin Kenny
Cost £9000 including dismantling