Project Overview

Alison Brooks Architects has collaborated with The American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC), Arup and the London Design Festival to present a cross-laminated tulipwood structure, ‘The Smile’ at the Chelsea College of Art Rootstein Hopkins Parade Ground from 17 September until 12 October 2016. The Smile is one of the Festival’s Landmark Projects, which can be inhabited and explored by the public.

The Smile is one of the Festival’s Landmark Projects, which can be inhabited and explored by the public. The spectacular, curved, tubular timber structure measures 3.5m high, 4.5m wide and 34m long and is effectively a beam curving up at both ends. Showcasing the structural and spatial potential of cross-laminated American tulipwood, Alison Brooks’ concept is the first ever ‘mega-tube’ made with construction-sized panels of hardwood CLT.

Project Commissioner

American Hardwood Export Council (AHEC)

Project Creator

Alison Brooks Architects

Team

ABA Team: Alison Brooks, Sonia Rubio, Julio Poleo, Kurtis Risi
Structure: Arup
CLT: Züblin Merk
Lighting: Seam
Contractor: Baucon
Photography: Ed Reeve, Sonia Rubio, Ceri Edmunds

Project Brief

The Smile is one of the Festival’s Landmark Projects, which can be inhabited and explored by the public. The spectacular, curved, tubular timber structure measures 3.5m high, 4.5m wide and 34m long and is effectively a beam curving up at both ends. Showcasing the structural and spatial potential of cross-laminated American tulipwood, Alison Brooks’ concept is the first ever ‘mega-tube’ made with construction-sized panels of hardwood CLT.

Project Innovation/Need

The Smile is the first project in the world to use large hardwood CLT panels, in fact the entire structure is made from just 12 huge tulipwood panels, each up to 14m long and 4.5m wide. Fabricating these panels in a real CLT production plant has been an important step forward, showcasing how the material can be used for commercial projects.