Proof of Concept
16.52 Metres · Icosidodecahedral Pavilion · SE England
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Structural Logic
The icosidodecahedron is one of only thirteen Archimedean solids — the rarest class of convex polyhedra, each vertex-transitive with two or more types of regular polygon faces. It possesses 30 vertices, 60 edges, and 32 faces (20 equilateral triangles and 12 regular pentagons). IKOSI-One uses a uniform 6-metre edge length throughout its entire exoskeleton, meaning every structural member is identical in specification.
At pavilion scale the geometric logic is even more potent: 360 metres of CHS tubular steel — 4.86 tonnes of circular hollow section — spans a 16.52-metre building across four occupied floors. The near-spherical form distributes wind loading with no flat facades — the estimated drag coefficient of 0.65–0.75 is roughly half that of a conventional square tower.
The solid has 32 faces, but only 31 become bespoke cassettes: the base pentagon is the ground slab. The 31-panel envelope (20 triangular, 11 pentagonal) is a set of sealed, pre-fabricated units with integrated thermal performance, waterproofing, and structural attachment — enabling rapid on-site assembly onto the pre-erected steel frame.
Technical Specification
Capital Expenditure
The total build cost of £3,591,600 reflects a proof-of-concept prototype — a first-of-kind pavilion where every cassette, node, and connection detail is bespoke. At £5,415/m² gross slab area (£7,696/m² on 466.7 m² usable) this sits at the premium end of pavilion construction, but Ikosi - Geometric Intelligence projects a 30–40% reduction in volume production through standardised tooling and repeat fabrication.
The largest cost centres are the exoskeleton frame (£691k) — the 30 cast nodes, 60 CHS members and the CLT core — and the bespoke façade cassettes (£595k), now led by the 11 ETFE pentagon cushions that form the pavilion’s primary daylighting. Together these constitute the geometric identity of the building.
Switching the central spine from a reinforced-concrete cylinder to a CLT decagonal core — with CLT floors at F1–F3 — saves £269,644 (−7.0%) against the baseline of £3.86M, while cutting mass and embodied carbon. A 20% contingency (£599k) reflects genuine prototype risk on a novel-form assembly.
Market Context
| Project | Total Cost | Cost / m² | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| UK Expo 2025 Osaka Pavilion | ~£7.0M | ~£8,750/m² | National pavilion, temporary, fully serviced exhibition programme |
| IKOSI-One Pavilion | £3.59M | £5,415/m² | ← OUR PROJECT — proof-of-concept icosidodecahedral pavilion (gross slab basis) |
| Serpentine Pavilion (typical) | ~£1.5M | ~£7,500/m² | Single-storey temporary pavilion, ~200 m², Kensington Gardens |
| Antepavilion (typical) | ~£100k | ~£3,300/m² | Small-scale experimental structure, ~30 m², Hoxton |
Engineering Innovation
Environmental Performance
Embodied Carbon — RICS WLCA, Scenario C
Swapping the reinforced-concrete core for a CLT decagonal core removes 18 tonnes of manufacturing CO₂ and stores a further 24 tonnes of atmospheric carbon in the timber — a 42-tonne net swing from one design decision. Whole-building embodied carbon is 208 tCO₂e at A1–A3, or 117 tCO₂e once biogenic sequestration is counted. The aluminium-framed cladding is now the dominant element (~55%) and the primary Stage 2 reduction target.
Delivery Programme
Enquiries
IKOSI-One is a proof-of-concept for a new class of mathematical architecture — demountable, circular, and structurally efficient at any scale.