In 2011, Oyler Wu Collaborative and Nous Engineering designed a pavilion constructed of a steel frame along with 40,000 linear feet of knitted rope, creating an intricate canopy. In 2012 and 2013 the team was selected to redesign the Graduate Pavilion. The progression of three projects allowed for a thorough exploration of structure and form within a specific vocabulary of architectural components.

1. Netscape
Consisting of 45,000 linear feet of knitted rope; 6,000 linear feet of tube steel; and 3,000 square feet of fabric shade louvers, the pavilion creates a sail-like canopy of rope and fabric that floats above the audience. The rope mesh was form-found using non-linear analysis. In an effort to reduce cost, the structure was designed based on small-gauge tube size. The truss dimensions were scaled accordingly which also limited the weight to be easily maneuvered for assembly.

2. Center Stage
The structure is based on geometry that has been explored with the designer over multiple installations. A series of steel tubes transform geometrically from stage to bleacher and into a twisting wing-like shade structure that hovers overhead. The canopy of Center Stage plays off the repetitious structural elements of the existing Netscape Pavilion, this time combining an ambitious steel cantilever with a color twisting shade fabric.

3. Storm Cloud
SCI-Arc 40th Anniversary Pavilion, 2013 Storm cloud is the third project in a series of installations designed for SCI-ARC. Oyler Wu Collaborative used the project as an opportunity to revamp the existing Netscape pavilion. By removing the ten miles of knitted ropes that once hung between the steel trusses, and adding minimal amount of new steel elements and cable supports, tensioned spandex fabric transformed the structure volumetrically and materially.