- Project CodeVRBLM / CSQPP
- Project NameVirtual Reality Studies / Double Bloom Pavilion
- LocationCohoes, NY
- ArchitectEvan Douglis Studio
- TypeCultural/Pavilion, Research
The Double Bloom pavilion designed by Evan Douglis Studio explores the possibility of a thin membrane-like structure to have multiple functions. This large, three-dimensional, free-formed tapered cantilever structure functions as an open-air performance and public assembly space. The organically shaped envelope is formed by a single surface of fiber-glass resin cladding panels which inverts itself from inside to outside.
Büro Ehring worked closely with the architectural studio to keep the original sculptural thinness of the pavilion intact, given the complex self-entwining form of the project. Due to stringent aesthetic and financial confines, design solutions that further rationalize the variability in member shapes, degree of curvature and construction joints while maintaining the designers’ vision, were ultimately employed using multiple Virtual Reality studies to capture the expected flow of force.
Additional Information
Büro Ehring provided structural engineering services for the pavilion’s steel structure and cladding panels, working in close liaison with the design architect, Evan Douglis Studio, to preserve the integrity of the Pavilion’s figuration through iterative optimization of member sizes and geometries for structure and skin alike.
The structural core of the Pavilion is comprised of 40 steel grid units bolted together and the structural frame is composed of a combination of straight and curved HSS members which has been determined through parameterized structural modeling. A total of 127 fiber-glass resin cladding panels are applied to create the impression of one continuous surface from all directions.


Expertise Caption
Applied Research, VR Design, Structural Steel Connection Design, Façade Engineering Support, Complex Geometries, Structural Optimization