Design and construction of the MultiPly pavilion using cross-laminated tulipwood

This paper describes the design, fabrication and erection of the MultiPly timber pavilion, which was made from the first cross-laminated timber (CLT) to be manufactured at volume in the UK. Fabricated from American tulipwood, it was originally displayed at London Design Festival 2018 and has since been reconfigured and exhibited at design festivals in Milan and Madrid. The pavilion comprises a 'vertical maze' of stacked boxes and staircases allowing the public to reach a height of over 9m from the ground. Designed to be completely demountable and reusable, it is intended to be an exploration of the issues surrounding timber's place in the circular economy and its use in modular construction. This paper details the development of the pavilion's concept, its analysis and design through use of both physical and computer models, the manufacture of the tulipwood CLT, and the fabrication and erection of the pavilion on a highly constrained site – all taking place within a timescale of less than seven months.