Théâtre Vidy Pavilion

Design: The Théâtre Vidy, consisting of three buildings, is situated on a spectacular site on the banks of Lake Geneva. The temporary tent structure that was previously used was replaced with a thermally insulated pavilion with 250 seats.

Wood: The pavilion’s structural system consists of a double-layered folded timber plates and does not use any screws, nails, or adhesives for connections. With a plate thickness of only 45 millimetres, the structure achieves a span of up to 20 meters without any additional supports. The cross laminated timber plates are connected through newly developed double tenon joints, inspired by traditional wood joinery. They allow for fast, precise, and easy assembly. The pavilion can also just as easily be disassembled. What makes these wood-wood connections special is that they are integrated into the panels. Thus, the construction requires highly customized prefabrication – the connections and panels are cut in a single operation using 5-axis CNC technology. Once assembled, the timber panels form the entirety of the structural system, minimizing the need for metal connections. The double-layered folded timber plate structure achieves its stability through the stiffness of its connections. This is the first-time innovative wood-wood connections were used for a building of this size.