Travelling Design Pavilion

Grimshaw commissioned Billings Jackson and David Kirkland to design a travelling pavilion to promote Absolut Vodka at key design events such as the Milan furniture fair and the ICF in New York. 

It was also intended to form the epicentre of an Absolut-sponsored event celebrating modern architecture and design and so the brief requested a pavilion that represented the latest in these fields. Grimshaw was appointed architect and Marc Newson was commissioned to design the interior.

The concept is a demountable pod, fabricated using sandwich panel technology, which could be mounted in less than 24 hours. The structure formed a ‘monocoque’ – or single shell - that integrated all functions from air handling to lighting in a simple set of lightweight components.