London Design Festival welcomes modular CLT pavilion built by Arup and AHEC

A modular cross-laminated tulipwood pavilion will be built by Arup, together with the American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC) and Waugh Thistleton Architects.

The building is set to be displayed in the Sackler courtyard of the V&A from 15 September, the MultiPly will be one of the London Design Festival’s Landmark projects. Made of 17 modules with digitally fabricated joints, the maze-like structure will be assembled like an item of flat-packed furniture, New Civil Engineer reported.

Designed to “encourage visitors to re-think the way we design and build our homes and cities”, Arup’s project director Carolina Bartram said that despite looking simple the project is a “complex engineering challenge”.

“Continuing our exploration of hardwood CLT on installations such as The Timberwave, The Smile and Endless Stair, MultiPly provides a playful opportunity to experiment and innovate with this tactile and adaptable material,” Bartram said.

“The seemingly simple series of stacked boxes are a complex engineering challenge, made more interesting by the fact the sculpture sits on the newly completed, elegant Sackler Courtyard at the V&A. It is a privilege that as engineers for the Sackler Courtyard, we are also contributing engineering designs for Multiply.”