Team: Alessandro Moriconi

Place: Bastia Umbra

In the history of architecture, scaffolding represents a fundamental unit—an ultimate synthesis between reusability and economic sustainability.
The development of standardized components and the immediate assembly process using repeatable modules makes the tube-and-clamp system a remarkable example in the historiography of product design, with the added advantage of being fully reusable. In an era when permanence defined the collective image of architecture, the two proposed pavilions celebrate the ephemeral, encouraging reflection on the spatial possibilities shaped by temporariness.

THE ENTRY PORTAL

The spatial strategy of the portal is synthesized in an elementary gesture that defines an indeterminate place—open to the multiple needs of both the Exhibition Center and the city and its inhabitants—promoting transformation and adaptability without requiring more than the raising or lowering of the canopy that defines it.

The proposed portal is created from the simple composition of a 120x250 cm module using the tube-and-clamp system. This module is repeated along the horizontal axis of the selected site, creating a dual vertical order.
Tension cables, added to increase the structural stability, connect the vertical ends of the two scaffold rows.

Light, semi-transparent veils, tinted in warm hues to filter and “color” sunlight, create a poetic screen. These veils, laid over the scaffolding like rolls of papyrus, allow for different configurations: by stretching or gathering the fabric strips, the height of the covering can vary to host activities with diverse needs.

Through the use of simple, highly reusable materials, the identity of the Fairgrounds’ entrance is reimagined—becoming both passage and plaza. The height of the modular grid also makes the portal a recognizable landmark, visible even from the State Road 75 that runs alongside the site. It becomes an attractor point, representing large-scale community events.

THE EVENT SPACE

Inside, the same structural system and fabric veils create a functionally distinct environment.
The system’s versatility allows the fabric strips to be lowered, immersing visitors in a stream of cool-toned colors, revealing seating hidden among the flowing forms.
From a filtering canopy, the veils transform into semi-transparent backdrops that frame the stage, echoing the curves created by the presence of the audience.

As with the portal, the event space is created by repeating the 120x250 cm module with the tube-and-clamp system, defining two lateral corridors and a central nave where the fabric strips give life to a walkable, ephemeral stream.

REUSE POTENTIAL

The modular nature of the two pavilions enables fast assembly and disassembly, ensuring maximum efficiency during transport.
The tube-and-clamp system allows the base plates to adapt to uneven terrain, making the structures usable on both flat and irregular sites.

Being repeatable systems, the two structures can be connected or separated depending on the needs and scale of the event.
This flexibility opens possibilities for covered markets shaded by a colored canopy, dynamic playgrounds that encourage exploration among wind-blown fabric panels, or open-air cinemas enveloped by fluid, vibrating waves.

The new entrance portal and event pavilion inspire creative thinking, blending the idea of the piazza with playfulness, evoking a sense of "spontaneous architecture" born from the reuse of materials with untapped potential.