{"id":310805,"date":"2025-11-27T19:05:07","date_gmt":"2025-11-27T19:05:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/310805\/"},"modified":"2025-11-27T19:05:07","modified_gmt":"2025-11-27T19:05:07","slug":"new-south-unveils-muqarna-informed-ceramic-pavilion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/310805\/","title":{"rendered":"New South unveils muqarna-informed ceramic pavilion"},"content":{"rendered":"

Architecture studio New South has created the Muqarnas Pavilion in Saint-\u00c9tienne, France<\/a>, which is informed by sacred Islamic architecture.<\/p>\n

Built within the grounds of the Explora Park on the outskirts of Saint-\u00c9tienne, the semi-dome structure was created from interlocking ceramic and concrete pieces.<\/p>\n

\"MuqarnasNew South created the Muqarnas Pavilion in Saint-\u00c9tienne<\/p>\n

“We wanted the pavilion to feel like a precious stone revealed from the earth \u2013 something playful and magical, like a pomegranate split open to expose its hidden world,”\u00a0New South<\/a> co-founder Meriem Chabani told Dezeen.<\/p>\n

“I hope it rekindles a childlike sense of wonder,” she continued. “It’s an invitation to reflect on co-existence between the profane and the sacred, ornament and structure, human and non-human life.”<\/p>\n

\"MuqarnasIt is located in the Explora Park<\/p>\n

New South designed the pavilion to directly reference muqarnas \u2013 an ornamental motif that is often applied to vaults within Islamic religious architecture.<\/p>\n

It was designed as a research project that combined digital modelling with traditional ceramics.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\"New<\/p>\n

New Delft Blue archways wrapped in 3,000 unique 3D-printed ceramics tiles\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/p>\n

“The project reimagines sacred architecture as a space of innovation,” said Chabani.<\/p>\n

“It revisits the muqarnas, a hallmark of Islamic ornamentation, as a contemporary pavilion that bridges craft, architecture, and technology.”<\/p>\n

\"CeramicThe pavilion was made from blue ceramic tiles<\/p>\n

The pavilion was constructed from deep blue ceramic tiles that were backed with concrete to create blocks.<\/p>\n

These blocks were stacked to form a self-supporting structure that was then covered in earth and greenery.<\/p>\n

\"TiledIt was designed to “feel like a precious stone”<\/p>\n

“The pavilion follows the logic of a catenary arch, an efficient form that naturally distributes weight while offering both enclosure and openness,” explained Chabani.<\/p>\n

“This geometry allowed us to create a single, continuous structure that is at once wall, roof, and habitat.”<\/p>\n

\"MuqarnasThe tile and concrete structure supports a turf covering<\/p>\n

According to Chabani. the tiles were designed so that they function as bricks.<\/p>\n

“Each ceramic unit stems from the fractal logic of the muqarnas pattern,” she said.<\/p>\n

“Their dimensions were refined for structure, manufacturability, and human scale \u2013 something one can lift, place, and build with,” she continued.<\/p>\n

“They are three-dimensional pieces that interlock like Lego, reinforced with steel rebar and cellular concrete to support the soil behind the arch.”<\/p>\n

\"BlueThe tiles were designed to function as bricks<\/p>\n

Recent pavilions featured on Dezeen include a palm-clad pavilion at this year’s Dubai Design Week<\/a> and a trio of cave-like pavilions for a Chinese arts centre<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The photography is by Jonathan Letoublon.<\/p>\n

Project credits:<\/p>\n

Architect: New South
Engineer: Radhi Ben Hadid
Production: Gorbon Ceramics
Commissioners: Ecole nationale sup\u00e9rieure d’architecture de Saint-Etienne and CIVA
Construction: Natacha Piroux, Filipe Borges, Lucile Nicollet and students from Ecole nationale sup\u00e9rieure d’architecture de Saint-Etienne<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Architecture studio New South has created the Muqarnas Pavilion in Saint-\u00c9tienne, France, which is informed by sacred Islamic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":310806,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[31],"tags":[76,354,355,49,48,28745,356,75,637,22981,49626,49627,56126],"class_list":["post-310805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-arts-and-design","tag-arts","tag-arts-and-design","tag-artsanddesign","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-ceramics","tag-design","tag-entertainment","tag-france","tag-pavilions","tag-sectionall","tag-sectionarchitecture","tag-tiles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310805","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=310805"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/310805\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/310806"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=310805"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=310805"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=310805"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}