Washi Paper Pavilion

The Washi Paper Pavilion is more than an architectural installation—it is a space of lightness, contemplation, and emotion. It challenges us to rethink temporary materials, transforming fragility into strength and waste into beauty.



The Washi Paper Pavilion by YET Architecture is an experimental installation showcased at the Vives Architectural Festival 2023 in Montpellier, France. This project investigates the architectural potential of recycled Washi paper, blending digital fabrication with traditional craftsmanship to redefine how we perceive ephemeral materials in spatial design.



Paper is typically overlooked in architecture, often regarded as fragile and temporary. However, our project challenges this perception by exploring its structural and atmospheric potential. The pavilion’s skin is composed of 50 custom-crafted paper modules, designed to stack seamlessly into a fluid, organic form that cannot be achieved with flat sheets alone. Each piece was handcrafted using 3D-printed molds, requiring two hours of manual work per module, followed by a 24-hour drying process. Unlike traditional papier-mâché, this method uses no synthetic binders, making it entirely sustainable and leaving zero waste after deconstruction.



The pavilion explores the festival’s theme of sacredness through spatial experience and materiality. Suspended above the ground, it invites visitors into an elevated, ethereal space, where light filters through the translucent paper, evoking a sense of weightlessness and serenity. The experience transforms the ordinary act of looking upwards into a moment of contemplation and wonder, as if stepping into an abstract, cloud-like sanctuary.



Structurally, the pavilion consists of a lightweight plywood frame and a network of wooden dowels, connected by custom 3D-printed joints. These joints not only provide structural stiffness but also maintain the organic shape of the paper, reinforcing its inherent delicacy without compromising stability.



This project is an exploration of material intelligence—blurring the boundaries between computation and craft, the digital and the handmade, the temporary and the sacred. By elevating a discarded material into a meaningful architectural statement, the Washi Paper Pavilion presents an alternative sustainable approach to temporary structures in contemporary design.