A pointed structure crafted from blackened wood forms the Kwaee pavilion, which Ghanaian-British architect David Adjaye has installed at this year's Venice Architecture Biennale.
Overlooking the shipyard at the Arsenale, the structure was designed as a space for reflection, gathering and events.
David Adjaye has installed a pavilion at the Venice Architecture Biennale
Kwaee means forest in Twi, a dialect of the Akan language spoken in Ghana. The pavilion's form and materiality were also designed by Adjaye as a nod to the word.
Kwaee's triangular structure is punctured by a trio of openings, including an asymmetrical arch on its main elevation that provides access inside.
It takes the form of a blackened timber pyramid
"The overall design aims to support conversation and reflection, presenting doorway, platform, assembly and window in a single, unified entity," said Adjaye. "By minimising discontinuity, the all-timber structure cultivates a forest of light and shadow."
The pavilion is named Kwaee after the Twi word for forest
Two other openings sit on the sides of the triangle that flank the entrance. These frame views of the sky from inside the pavilion and pop against the blackened wood.
Kwaee's wooden structure is characterised by slats that differ in length and position, forming perforations that filter in light while creating tactile, jutted surfaces internally.
There are perforations in the slatted structure
The raised platform inside is accessed v...