Arian Saeed Pavilion 2025
Project Information
Exhibition stand
Date: 2025
Status: Built
Location: Iran, Tehran
Area: 1000 sqm
Client: Arian saeed industrial group
Credit
Architecture
Principal Architect: Hooman Talebi
Project Architects: Mehrnaz Zarrin, Farshad Nasiri
Parametric Workflow Specialist: Abolhasan Karimi
Design Team: Niayesh Azizzade, Maryam Alavian, Mehrnaz Baradaranfar
Photography: Mohammad Hassan Ettefagh
Photography (Construction): Amir reza Amjadi
Field Of Bends: A Pavilion to soften the rigid
Arian Saeed pavilion 2025, marks the seventh iteration in a series of experimental projects developed in collaboration with Arian Saeed Industrial Group. Since 2015, this partnership has explored the spatial and structural potential of engineered wood. As one of the largest manufacturers of engineered wood in the Middle East, Arian Saeed Industrial Group initially commissioned MARZ to redefine its brand identity, leading to the development of temporary structures that, alongside their new visual branding, showcase innovation and expanded material possibilities.
The 2025 pavilion, like its predecessors, was conceived and realized within an intensive three-month timeframe. The exhibition imposed strict constraints, including a three-day assembly period and a height restriction of three meters within a 1000-square-meter allocated site. Despite these limitations, the project pushed the boundaries of material behavior and spatial articulation through physically informed digital methodology—a direction MARZ has been developing over the past decade by moving beyond standard parametric software to employ a research-driven approach that prioritizes material behavior and fabrication logic.
This year’s pavilion revisits concepts from the 2015 and 2018 editions, where the morphogenetic properties of thin MDF sheets were explored. With a density of approximately 800 kg per cubic meter, MDF is typically rigid, yet when employed in thin layers, it exhibits a remarkable degree of flexibility. The 2025 pavilion advances these studies, further pushing the material’s potential to achieve a sense of lightness and fluidity.
The design concept sought to achieve a paper-like pavilion—light, elegant, and structurally stable. By rolling thin MDF sheets into overlapping cylindrical forms, the structure harnesses the inherent self-supporting stability and structural integrity of curved spiral forms without additional thickness. The result is a dynamic yet delicate composition that balances material logic with expressive spatial design.
The ASP2025 pavilion unfolds as a landscape of five open elliptical spirals, intertwined with stacked, rolled MDF sheets, merging interior and exterior spaces. Subtly tilted away from all three spatial axes, they disrupt the rigidity of the Cartesian grid. This tilting transforms the enclosing surfaces into visually permeable and indeterminate boundaries, fostering movement and interaction within the space.
Between the paper-like spirals, interstitial spaces generate dynamic pathways that offer varied spatial experiences. The interplay of shifting contours across the spirals introduces a rhythmic flow, allowing visitors to navigate freely while experiencing an evolving sequence of perspectives. The design achieves a balance between ingenuity and creative sophistication, embodying both innovation and craftsmanship.
ASP2025 stands as a testament to the ongoing dialogue between spatial design and material experimentation, seamlessly integrating physical material experience with advanced digital development. By challenging conventional perceptions of engineered wood, it not only showcases the versatility of MDF but also redefines the possibilities of temporary pavilion architecture. This project continues MARZ’s legacy of investigating new aesthetic and spatial explorations through the agency of materiality.
