The Dual·R Pavilion

The Dual·R pavilion, unveiled during the EFFA 2025 exhibition, explores how computational design and augmented reality (AR) can empower hands-on building practices. Developed at the Université de Montréal’s School of Architecture, the project merges reciprocal timber framing, bent plywood edging, and stitched membrane infill into one materially efficient and spatially expressive structure. Designed and built entirely by students using ultra-short wood elements, the pavilion required no CNC tools or skilled labor.
The design process began with form-finding simulations in Grasshopper using Kangaroo to shape a saddle-like surface. This surface was molded to its interior site constraints, then refined through curvature analysis and adaptive remeshing to produce a variable density mesh responding to curvature and structural stress. The dual of this triangular mesh was transformed into a reciprocal frame through coordinated edge rotations, allowing construction of 15 sqm shell using timber members between just 15 and 54 cm in length.

This adaptive system extended to its components: reciprocal joints, ruled-surface skirts cut from plywood, and a membrane pattern that mirrors the polygonal rings of the frame. The membrane pieces—made from repurposed printed mesh banners—were stitched together and post-tensioned, creating surface depth without obscuring the structure.

Construction relied entirely on AR-assisted manual labor. Using Microsoft HoloLens 2 headsets and Fologram overlays, students manually cut compound miters and tagged each member. The AR system transformed a conventional miter saw into a precise digital tool, projecting cut geometry directly onto the lumber. Elements were assembled in six sectors, then lifted and joined using screw-based joints.

The bent plywood skirts were shaped to follow the mesh boundaries, rationalized for planar bending, and marked by hand using AR overlays. Similarly, the membrane panels were hand-cut, stitched, and tensioned into the structure.

Final assembly occurred in a single day. Sectors were aligned using AR guidance and temporarily propped. Once joined, a second set of screws locked the structure into its final form, achieving a deviation of less than 5 cm at the apex.

The project demonstrates a low-carbon, low-cost building strategy optimized for reuse. Although reclaimed lumber wasn’t available, the system was designed to support it. It used only 175 m of lumber and inexpensive fasteners, without scaffolding or automated fabrication. Just as importantly, it empowered students to bridge the gap between digital modeling and material practice—redefining the architect as a designer of tools and protocols, not just forms.
Dual·R offers a vision of sustainable architecture that values economy of means, digital precision, and the agency of manual construction.

Development team:

STUDIO TUTORS / RESEARCHERS

Andrei Nejur (Studio Lead)
Thomas Balaban
Patrick Harrop

STUDENTS
Justine Sélim
Marianne Benoit
Olivier Sy
Charles-Alexandre Toussaint
Sydney Perron
Étienne Plouffe
Sarah Lussier-Bolduc
Alissa Muro
Katherine Couture
Cynthia Lamarre-Bourret

Teaching + Research Assistant:

Reza Taghavifard

DUAL·R was developed with the support of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Fonds de recherche du Québec – Nature et technologies, the Canada Foundation for Innovation/Fondation canadienne pour l’innovation and the LAB INTERFACES BOIS project, funded by the Ministère des Ressources naturelles et des Forêts (MRNF) and led by the Chaire Fayolle Magil Construction.