Ontario Celebration Zone Pavilion
Structural Designer
Thornton Tomasetti|Blackwell
Client Name
Ontario Tourism Marketing Partnership Corporation
Location
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Thornton Tomasetti
ARCHITECTURAL DESIGN
Hariri Pontarini Architects
STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING
Blackwell
FABRICATOR
Tectoniks
CONSTRUCTION
Ellis Don
TEMPORARY STRUCTURES AND EXHIBITS
Astound Group
PROJECT DESCRIPTION
Built for the 2015 Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, these two dynamic, inflatable, undulating pavilions were built using only tensile membrane fabric and compressed air, covering 1,580 square meters.
Due to the long span, complex shape, oversized openings, and the high wind-loads on Toronto’s waterfront, a highly detailed structural analysis was critical, as were anchoring systems - the foundation consists of large ground-penetrating screws.
Judge's comment:
Clever form-finding and highly detailed structural analysis was required to create these two large scale inflatable membrane pavilions that consist of over 15000 unique fabric panels. Erected in just 72 hours, the pavilion is an excellent example of lightweight, energy efficient structure with dynamic form.