On November 12th, the team of Hobbs Masonry, LAST Architects, and Caruso Turley Scott were recognized at the AIA Awards Gala for their 2022 World of Concrete (WOC) Pavilion showcased in Las Vegas at the World of Concrete Conference.
Masonry Living – Beyond the Wall is a dedicated demonstration area for WOC whose objective “is to physically demonstrate the aesthetic value, creativity, flexibility, and its added value to inspire building owners and the architectural community to design and build with masonry.”
Together, the Arizona Masonry Council, LAST Architects and Hobbs Masonry created an ambitious set of goals for the 2022 demonstration pavilion build.
· Grab Attention
· Bring Awareness
· Display Beauty
· Demonstrate Creativity
· Outside the Box Thinking – but Achievable
Working with an all-volunteer team using donated materials, the team went to work understanding current issues within the masonry industry and how to address them in their design. Hobbs Masonry relayed the interesting potential they see in precast masonry, and LAST Architects instantly began incorporating this line of inquiry into the design. The pavilion showcased the interplay between conventionally laid and precast elements addressing issues of enclosure, aperture, span, form, and space using off the shelf concrete masonry.
The pavilion tested non-orthogonal geometry with both hand laid and precast elements. Radial precast beams, grouted into bowing and splaying walls, create a dynamic interplay of form dividing and defining space within the allotted 20’x20’ footprint. The layered space created a noticeable microclimate in the warmth of the afternoon while serving as a backdrop for intricate shade and shadow play. As attendees passed by and peeked in, the suspended radial precast beams surprised and amused. Their structural ingenuity was a consistent point of nervous excitement. Standing out amongst the 1,300 exhibitors situated over 500,000 square feet, the pavilion demonstrated the beauty and range of concrete block using various construction approaches.