Mais al Azab

Flatland Pavilion is a multi-faceted architectural installation and a play on geometrical orders and structural potentials.
In a city like Amman where public spaces are scarce and underutilized, Flatland Pavilion was created as an act of activation and beautification of a formal outdoor setting. Installed at the lower plaza of Al Hussein Cultural Center in the context of ADW 2017, Flatland aimed at connecting the public more with the outdoor space through their engagement with the sculptural poetics of the pavilion. In terms of design aesthetics, ‘Flatland Pavilion’ was deliberately designed as a challenging structure made out of very thin steel bars. While lines are commonly depicted as one-dimensional, the thin steel lines of the pavilion move in X, Y & Z creating complex and compelling spaces, and giving form and depth to a delightful ground for the public to hang around. This temporary pavilion was also structurally calibrated in a manner that implies no invasive intervention in the site of installation as it sits on the floor by virtue of its own weight.
Credit to Maryam al Azzeh and Bashar Hamam for structural advising and verification, to Maher Abdelqader, Majdi Saleh and the team from KADDB for fabrication and on-site installation. All photos ©Mais al Azab except photo no.8 ©Haupt & Binder and photo no.9 ©ADW.