FWISP
—
Framework: ISP
Inverted Square Pyramid: Modular Pavilion Kit

Framework: ISP

Framework: Inverted Square Pyramid (FW:ISP) reimagines the traditional pyramid by flipping it upside down, shifting its focus from the cosmos to the people. The structure’s apexes become seating points within a flexible, interactive framework that encourages public engagement and play.

Designed as a low-cost, adaptable system, FW:ISP can transform to fit various spaces—from beaches to urban squares. It can stretch horizontally as a pavilion, stack vertically as a lifeguard stand, shrink into a bus stop, or form a labyrinth.

The structure is stabilized by an overhead square grid anchored to the ground via its pyramid points. Made of weather-proofed structural members and reinforced 3D-printed nodes, the system is easy to assemble and customize. Additional elements like stretched fabric for shade, seating inserts, and small plants placed in unused nodes enhance its functionality.

With its modular, reconfigurable design, FW:ISP creates dynamic public spaces that invite interaction, adaptability, and engagement with the built environment.

Inverted Square Pyramid: Modular Pavilion Kit

PROGRAM: Beach Pavilion

CONTEXT: Toronto, Canada

SITE: Woodbine Beach

TEAM: Bryan Maddock

ORGANIZER: Winter Stations

YEAR:
2024
AWARDS:
NEWS:
No items found.

Competitions

Installations

Perspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station eventsPerspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station eventsPerspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station eventsPerspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station events

Framework: Inverted Square Pyramid (FW:ISP) reimagines the traditional pyramid by flipping it upside down, shifting its focus from the cosmos to the people.

Perspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station events
Perspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station events

PROJECT IMAGES

Front elevation of the FWISP pavilion Winter Station showing the lake beyondFront elevation of the FWISP pavilion Winter Station showing the lake beyondFront elevation of the FWISP pavilion Winter Station showing the lake beyondFront elevation of the FWISP pavilion Winter Station showing the lake beyond
Aerial rendering of the FWISP Winter Station pavilion on the snowy beachAerial rendering of the FWISP Winter Station pavilion on the snowy beachAerial rendering of the FWISP Winter Station pavilion on the snowy beachAerial rendering of the FWISP Winter Station pavilion on the snowy beach
Diagram of the various types of forms that the FWISP system can form for Winter Station eventsDiagram of the various types of forms that the FWISP system can form for Winter Station eventsDiagram of the various types of forms that the FWISP system can form for Winter Station eventsDiagram of the various types of forms that the FWISP system can form for Winter Station events
Plan drawing of the FWISP system showing the porous ground floor with seats for Winter Station visitorsPlan drawing of the FWISP system showing the porous ground floor with seats for Winter Station visitorsPlan drawing of the FWISP system showing the porous ground floor with seats for Winter Station visitorsPlan drawing of the FWISP system showing the porous ground floor with seats for Winter Station visitors
Scaled model of the entire assembly of the FWISP Winter Station pavilionScaled model of the entire assembly of the FWISP Winter Station pavilionScaled model of the entire assembly of the FWISP Winter Station pavilionScaled model of the entire assembly of the FWISP Winter Station pavilion
Elevation drawing of the FW:ISP system in a typical Winter Station configuration with people and plantsElevation drawing of the FW:ISP system in a typical Winter Station configuration with people and plantsElevation drawing of the FW:ISP system in a typical Winter Station configuration with people and plantsElevation drawing of the FW:ISP system in a typical Winter Station configuration with people and plants
Scale model showing the entire kit of parts needed to assemble the FWISP pavilion for Winter StationsScale model showing the entire kit of parts needed to assemble the FWISP pavilion for Winter StationsScale model showing the entire kit of parts needed to assemble the FWISP pavilion for Winter StationsScale model showing the entire kit of parts needed to assemble the FWISP pavilion for Winter Stations
Perspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station eventsPerspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station eventsPerspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station eventsPerspective of visitors gathering around the FWISP pavilion at the Toronto Winter Station events
Typical experience of the FWISP system showing Winter Station visitors sitting on the structureTypical experience of the FWISP system showing Winter Station visitors sitting on the structureTypical experience of the FWISP system showing Winter Station visitors sitting on the structureTypical experience of the FWISP system showing Winter Station visitors sitting on the structure
1:1 3D printed mockup of the FWISP nodes and plants for the FWISP Winter Station construction1:1 3D printed mockup of the FWISP nodes and plants for the FWISP Winter Station construction1:1 3D printed mockup of the FWISP nodes and plants for the FWISP Winter Station construction1:1 3D printed mockup of the FWISP nodes and plants for the FWISP Winter Station construction

MORE PROJECTS

Seating design is vital in fostering communal interactions in shared spaces. Rooted in the organic growth principles of the Metabolist movement and the transformational geometric language of digital Metaballs, Meta-Bench forms an experiential seating system which individuals can move and adjust.
The Urban Test Object (UTO) serves as a large-scale intervention that accelerates our relationship with the future city. Rather than solving issues like density, infrastructure, or access, the UTO heightens awareness of the rapid urban transformations shaping our future.
Seeing Park Avenue as an underutilized zone that connects four vibrant neighborhoods from 42nd Street to 144th Street, Infrastructural Infill is a study testing the potential to locate a combination of mixed-use housing and transportation in the residual spaces caused by urban infrastructure.
QTCT is tasked to blend these two identities onto one site—a give and take relationship between beach ambitions and urban necessities. QTCT is a sampling of two worlds: on one hand it is the embodiment of the language of the beach and on the other it is a detailed and exacting built urban space.
The CART live/work housing prototype adds a vertical profile to downtown while converting an underutilized public path into an urban gesture by introducing of a specialized food cart zone in New Haven. The CART residents would rent and appropriate the moving space as a means of expanding their zone.
The YELE music studio competition, underway before the earthquake, must respond now, but plan for the future of the community. Music is relief in a time of tragedy. The goal is to meet the most basic survival needs now while leaving spaces for future growth through self sustaining phases.
In Tempe there are two pedestrian axes: Mill Avenue and Palm Walk. Mill Avenue is successful and Palm Walk is not. Is there a way to make the palm trees useful to the students? The PEP structure is powered by buried hydraulic pressure systems giving vertical movement to the layer/palm interface.
The RACA project must meet two demands: A. REFLECTION (museum) or B. CONTINUATION (practice + addition). The current program and its stagnancy has left the site forgotten—it is a typical static museum on a living site. The site and addition must constantly change through the participation of people.