Shadow Box Pavilion

Los Angeles, California

Conceptual Design

Referencing Toyo Ito’s Serpentine Pavilion and Geoffrey von Oeyen’s MPhil research on Le Corbusier’s Tower of Shadows as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Cambridge, this box geometry is overlaid with regulating lines, cut, folded inward, closed, and glazed to reveal the interplay of light and shadow. Geometric cuts follow an overlay of coincident construction lines, and folds in the surfaces invite multiple readings of massing and orientation. Surfaces appear alternately thin and massive or light and heavy, and they appear to prefer space or form depending on vantage point. Place and time are registered by the shadow patterns on the ceiling, walls, and floor. Walls remain plumb from the ground to just above head height, after which they fold inward to reinforce spatial and structural connections. Powder-coated sheet steel to be CNC cut, folded, and welded in position. The folded steel sheets stiffen and reinforce the pavilion’s structure, while seams offer positions for glazing frames and sealant.