Piloti is an elegant Rotunda serving as entrance to Bellevue’s Downtown Park. Its structure is an aggregate of smaller umbrellas blending a series of elements into one single surface:
- Its circular overall geometry is created from an aggregate of “umbrellas”.
- Each umbrella is supported by a stilleto-thin column.
- Each column’s capital is branching and opening up with a manifold twist: the inside of the column becomes the outside, and reverse.
- Each cantilevering edge is folded to resist high wind loads.
- Each pleat is detailed with a scalloped edge, as a reference to historical marquise.
- The entire rotunda is covered with a distributed constellation of tiny openings, which serves simultaneously as practical detail for assembly and as a filter for natural light during the day, and diffuse lighting at night.
Ultra-thin, Self-supported, Aluminum Rotunda Structure
Commissioned by the City of Bellevue, WA.
Dimensions: 7.2m high
Material: 3mm Aluminum
Linear Cut Distance: 23,378m
Number of Parts: 6,665
Number of Rivets: 180,900
Photography by Younes Bounhar / Doublespace Photography.
