Portalen Pavilion / Map13 Barcelona + Summum Engineering + Edyta Augustynowicz

Architects: Edyta Augustynowicz, Map13 Barcelona, Summum Engineering
Area: 210 m²
Year: 2019
Photographs: Ricard Estay, Niklas Jurander, Courtesy of Map13 Barcelona
Manufacturers: HASSLACHER NORICA TIMBER, Rothoblaas, Carl Stahl, Ahlsell, GOP, SFS Intec, Sveden Trä, Swans Mekaniska, Swerbolt, Würth
Lead Architects: Marta Domènech Rodríguez, David López López, Mariana Palumbo Fernández
Design Team: Map13 Barcelona, Summum Engineering, Edyta Augustynowicz, Edyta Augustynowicz
Collaborators: Delfina Capiglioni, Teresa del Pozo, Alejandro Caballero, Antonio Planas, Irene Subils, David León, Aleix Arcarons, Jaime Feliu, Albert Rabinad, Andy Penuela, Marina Huguet
Owner: Hyresbostäder
Developer: Public Art Agency Sweden, Statens Konstråd, Joanna Zawieja, Lena From
Parametric Design: Edyta Augustynowicz, Diederik Veenendaal
Engineering: Diederik Veenendaal, Sjef Brands, Andreas Alpkvist, Joacim Vilén, Limträteknik i Falun
Project Support: Marcus Abrahamsson
Builder: David Ramberg, JR Dala Bygg, Steve Corbett, Andrew Holloway
Sponsors: Norrköpings Konstmuseum
Gratefulness: Embassy of Spain in Stockholm
City: Hageby
Country: Sweden

The Portalen Pavilion, a lightweight timber gridshell canopy, serves as a public art piece and multifunctional meeting space in Hageby, Norrköping, Sweden. Designed by Map13 Barcelona in collaboration with Summum Engineering and Edyta Augustynowicz, the pavilion is part of Portalen, a community center aiding migrant integration. Developed under the national program “Art is happening,” the pavilion was envisioned through participatory workshops to create a flexible, expressive, and transparent structure for cultural events. Inspired by Frei Otto’s lightweight structures, the gridshell is constructed from locally sourced timber without formwork, maximizing space with minimal material. Comprising two intersecting layers of timber laths, the structure is raised from a flat mat into a curved form supported by four glued laminated timber arches. Steel cables brace the grid, which is clad in polycarbonate sheets, allowing light to permeate and enhance the connection between interior and exterior spaces. The pavilion stands as a welcoming landmark for new citizens integrating into the local community.

Portalen pavilion / map13 barcelona + summum engineering + edyta augustynowicz

The Portalen Pavilion is a lightweight timber canopy with curved edges, functioning as a public art piece and a versatile space for meetings, debates, recitals, courses, open-air theater, and other cultural events. Designed as a deployable timber gridshell, the pavilion was created by Spanish architects Map13 Barcelona in collaboration with Summum Engineering from the Netherlands and Edyta Augustynowicz from Switzerland.

The pavilion is part of the community center of Portalen (the Portal) in the Hageby neighborhood in the city of Norrköping, Sweden. Portalen serves as an organization and center that supports new migrants in the city, helping them integrate into the local labor market.

A group of recently immigrated architects and engineers in Sweden sought to create an attractive and iconic meeting point. The project was formalized under the national program “Art is happening,” led by the Statens Konstråd (Public Art Agency) in collaboration with Norrköpings Konstmuseum and Portalen. For artistic direction, the group enlisted Map13 Barcelona, an architectural firm renowned for its computationally designed structures that incorporate local and traditional construction techniques.

In the summer of 2016, Map13 organized two intensive participatory workshops to explore the potential design of the meeting space. The workshops concluded that the pavilion should be a large, flexible, and expressive structure with a transparent roof, suitable for various meetings and events. Additionally, with the right orientation, the adjacent park’s green slope could function as natural seating. To further develop the design, the project team was expanded to include Summum Engineering and Edyta Augustynowicz, who contributed parametric modeling and structural engineering expertise for the doubly curved pavilion.

The final design is a lightweight, deployable timber gridshell, inspired by the pioneering work of Frei Otto’s Institute for Lightweight Structures in the 1970s. Both the material and construction technique were carefully selected to suit the specific context and function of the pavilion. The structure maximizes coverage with minimal material, employing an efficient construction method that does not require formwork and uses sustainable, locally sourced wood—honoring Sweden’s rich tradition in timber construction.

The Portalen Pavilion is composed of two intersecting layers of timber laths that form a grid. This grid is initially assembled flat on the ground and then lifted into a three-dimensional curved shape, creating an efficient shell structure. The grid is supported by four curving edges that converge at the corners and are made from glued laminated timber arches. Once braced with steel cables, the entire shell is clad in polycarbonate sheets, which allow light to pass through, altering the perception of the interior and exterior spaces.

The completed pavilion now stands as a permanent public structure, welcoming Sweden’s newest citizens as they come to Portalen and settle into their new home country.