National Day Exhibit
King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture | Country: Saudi Arabia / Germany | Year: 2014
Based on the architectural philosophy of the King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, a building made up of distinct metal 'rocks', this unique touring exhibit was designed around a series of 3-dimensional pebbles each containing their own displays, interactives and artworks. As with the Center, the shapes and formal aspects of the architectural design are in influenced by Saudi Arabia’s geology and rock formations that preserve petroleum energy.
Constructed from a series of horizontal CNC cut slats, each slice is precisely shaped to create a multifaceted and clearly defined 3-dimensional shape when assembled. Using this slatted approach, depending on the visitor’s position and vantage point, each 'pebble' both clearly defines its own shape yet remains both open and closed at the same time. Being semi-open, the slats enable natural lighting to show through while maintaining the pebble’s overall enclosing role. The pebbles appear to form from below ground-level, with under-lighting to complete the effect and accentuate the forms.
