In the countryside of Zhejiang, China, Shanghai-based design studio Wutopia Lab has completed the Shrine of Whatslove, a robotically woven carbon-fiber structure devoted to love and marriage. Created in collaboration with digital construction team RoboticPlus.AI, the Shrine of Whatslove takes the shape of a red, triangular pavilion evocative of a giant bird’s nest. Billed as “China’s first all carbon-fiber structure,” the installation is built from 7,200 meters of continuous carbon-fiber bundles and was completed in 90 hours.
Commissioned by the Fengyuzhu firm, Wutopia Lab was asked to design a thought-provoking structure on the grounds of its client’s Fangyukong Guesthouse project. Rather than a restaurant or bookstore, the architects tapped into the themes of love and marriage to “bring out a building that can inspire people to think [about] daily issues” and stimulate related discussion. Moreover, in a bold contrast to the region’s rural vernacular, Wutopia Lab decided on a robotically constructed pavilion built of carbon fiber in a bid to “rejuvenate the countryside.”
Located at the main entrance of the Fangyukong Guesthouse next to a stream, the Shrine of Whatslove stands at a little over 13 feet in height and is nearly 12.5 feet in width. Robots wove the structure from a continuous strand of carbon fiber. Elevated on footings, the pavilion appears to float above the landscape and is strong enough to support the weight of four people. At night, the structure is illuminated from below, creating an ethereal glow in the landscape.
Related: Robots weave an insect-inspired carbon-fiber forest in London
“Love should be a beautiful and pure thing, but in reality it is always wrapped in layers of matter,” Wutopia Lab explained in a project statement. “I first formed the building directly with integrated triangle. The triangle as a motif also represents the original architectural prototype, shape of the shed built by ancestors. We decided to abandon materiality. Giving up concrete, steel, glass or wood to build the knot, inspired by the ‘Zhusiyingshe,’ a Chinese traditional culture wrapping red line around the idol for good luck, we used a red line to weave a shrine. The shrine is more a visual image of a red line than a physical space; it does not need to shelter from the wind.”
Images via CreatAR Images
