COCOON Pavilion -PARAMETRIC ARCHITECTURE

Cairo University, Faculty of Engineering Architecture Department.

Project idea

-The Idea
Arsenal Memory Park proposes a paradigm shift in large-scale urban master planning, bridging the gap between historical contemplation and future-forward sustainable living. The core concept establishes a multi-modal "Memory Boulevard" that slices through a dense, living city grid, seamlessly connecting a highly active, productive agricultural landscape with a reflective, culturally rich memorial park.
-Scope of the Problem
Modern urban expansion frequently erases historical contexts and isolates communities from both their ecological roots and sustainable food networks. The challenge was to transform an expansive, disconnected urban void into a cohesive district. The design needed to honor collective memory while aggressively tackling contemporary urban issues: high-density housing demands, microclimate regulation, and the necessity of localized food security within a metropolitan fabric.

Project description

-Scope of the Solution
Performative Tectonics & Spatial Syntax
The COCOON introduces a biologically inspired, parametric lattice that acts as an active environmental and social filter.

-Structural Optimization: Utilizing mesh-relaxation and force-directed algorithms, the self-supporting space frame optimizes material distribution along natural stress lines, maximizing structural integrity while minimizing mass.

-Environmental Modulation: The tessellated, porous skin acts as a climatic modifier. It calibrates the chiaroscuro effect of internal daylight while its vaulted geometry induces a natural stack effect, drawing cool air from the exterior water features and expelling heat through upper apertures.

-Urban Integration: By extending the architectural logic into the surrounding terraced topography, the design blurs the threshold between object and landscape, creating a seamless urban spatial syntax that naturally funnels pedestrian flow into the central atrium.

Technical information

Structural System: Geodesic steel space-frame sub-structure with custom-milled connective nodes.

Envelope Materiality: A hybrid skin of matte Fiber-Reinforced Polymer (FRP) tessellated composite panels and translucent ETFE membranes.

Form-Finding: Parametric modeling and morphogenetic simulation utilizing advanced algorithmic workflows (Mesh Relaxation / Voronoi Subdivision).

Documentation

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