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The Pavilion

A seamless mirror-polished stainless steel ceiling reflects the space

Invisible access panel and the 2mm thin-joint details

The Pavilion, from the street

Scope of Work
Finishes
Material
Project Types

■The Norman Foster Foundation’s Pavilion

Nestled in the courtyard of Norman Foster Foundation’s headquarters in Madrid is a Pavilion that opened in the summer of 2017 to display objects and visual materials that have inspired Lord Foster and his work.
Implementation of the spatial concept required a high-quality mirror polished ceiling – an ethereal space for the artworks that are enhanced with bespoke spotlights.
The resulting cuboid space is 4.5m in height, covered in a total of 138㎡ of mirror-polished stainless steel ceiling panels with 48 bespoke spotlights that light up the display.

 

■Lord Norman Foster and KIKUKAWA

As an integral part of realising the design concept, Lord Foster entrusted Kikukawa as the consultant and fabricator of the bespoke mirror polished stainless steel panels.
This entrustment was based on an established partnership from other projects, metal craftsmanship displayed through our works and a personal visitation by Lord Norman Foster to our factory in Chiba.
The strict standards of this project and its implementation is a testament to the close collaboration and our craftsmanship.

Click here to learn more about Lord Norman Foster’s Visitation to Kikukawa’s factory in Chiba

Click here to find out more about ‘Bloomberg London’, another project designed by Foster + Partners and Kikukawa’s metal

 

■Mirror-polished Stainless Steel Ceiling

Mirror polished stainless steel is said to be one of the most unforgiving finishes and the selected typical width of the panel of 1435mm added to the challenge in meeting the high-quality standards of the project.
To ensure the flatness of the panels, Kikukawa’s team proposed the 2.0mm thick mirror-polished stainless steel panels with honeycomb backing details. Other quality factors such as polishing consistency were ensured by comprehensively quality controlled the panels from the lot procurement, material cutting, and hand-polishing when necessary by our experienced craftsmen.
By doing so, requirements such as the mirror-polishing surface of the bent edge detail were met (bent mirror-polished panels typically bare a white tinge due to the material elongation).

 

■Invisible Access Panels With 2mm Joints

The continuity of the mirror-polished stainless ceiling was a key factor in the implementation of the design. Our proposals extended from the panel details, sub-frames, backing frames, and a new locking system that conceals hardware and frames for the 18 access panels*.
In addition to these solutions, the 2mm thin-joint requirement implied a precise installation requirement.
Although our area of responsibility did not include installation, Kikukawa’s team conducted installation demonstrations during the mock-up stage, provided detailed installation instructions to the site and sent an advisor on-site to ensure the high-quality standards of the project are met.

*This patent-pending access panel unlocks with a 2mm thick key plate.

Click here to find out more on the ‘Invisible Access Panel’ system

 

■A Tradition of Crafting Metal, From Japan to the World

Using our expertise and craftsmanship, Kikukawa worked closely with the architect, designers and contractors to address each and every requirement of the project. In doing so, Kikukawa was able to implement a ceiling that reflects our craftsmanship and commitment to the design.

It was an honour for Kikukawa to participate in this highly regarded project in a way that displays Kikukawa’s metal construction and craftsmanship overseas.

Click here to view the feature on ‘The Pavilion’ by the Norman Foster Foundation on ArchDaily

Product Material Metal Finishes
or
Metalwork
Ceiling Panels Stainless Steel Mirror Finish
ProjectThe Pavilion
ClientNorman Foster Foundation
ArchitectNorman Foster Foundation
ContractorEmpty SL
BAUobras SL
Completion2017
LocationMadrid, Spain