UNFOLD pavilion rethinks temporary architecture through circular design

Stock image for referential purposes only

Design studio Unknown Surface Studio has unveiled UNFOLD, a thematic pavilion created for Aluframe that challenges traditional ideas of temporary architecture. The project presents a new approach to exhibition spaces by focusing on circular material use and long-term sustainability.

Rather than building a short-term structure that becomes waste after an event, UNFOLD has been designed as a regenerative system. The pavilion is intended to continue contributing to material life cycles long after the exhibition ends. It functions not only as an exhibition venue but also as a model for future temporary architecture that prioritises reuse and adaptability.

The idea for the pavilion came directly from Aluframe’s warehouse environment. Inside the facility, rows of aluminium profiles stored in industrial rack systems inspired the design team. Unknown Surface Studio saw architectural potential in the repetition, rhythm and precision of these storage arrangements.

The designers transformed this industrial setting into what they describe as a “Living Material Library”. Through this concept, the logic of warehouse storage is reimagined as a public spatial experience.

UNFOLD features a fan-shaped and layered structure inspired by aluminium storage systems. The pavilion opens outward through multiple layers that create a semi-open enclosure. These layers serve several purposes at once. They act as structural support, shading devices, display surfaces and spatial boundaries.

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This arrangement reduces unnecessary material use while improving spatial efficiency and visitor comfort. As people move through the pavilion, the density of aluminium members changes. This creates shifting levels of transparency, filtered daylight and a dynamic sense of depth.

Aluminium profiles remain visible throughout the structure and form the pavilion’s main architectural language. Instead of hiding industrial elements, the project highlights the precision and modularity of engineered components. The repeated aluminium sections create a clear structural rhythm and showcase the visual appeal of industrial materials in architecture.

Once the exhibition ends, the pavilion can be dismantled efficiently. The steel framework will return to the factory and resume its role as aluminium storage infrastructure rather than becoming waste.

The aluminium materials within these aluminium components have been constructed for continuous reusability. Any component within the pavilion that no longer meets the criteria for its intended application can be reintroduced into the industrial system for recycling. This allows the materials to have an extended lifespan, long after the pavilion is dismantled.

Using this approach, Unknown Surface Studio reframes our perception of temporary buildings as being disposable. Instead, UNFOLD advances an architectural theory of transformation instead of consumption.

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