Quadralis Pavilion: reflections from a year in industry student

As part of her year in the industry, Agnes Kullberg, Intern at our structural engineering team in London, was heavily involved with the Quadralis Pavilion and has written her reflections on the project and her time at Cundall. 

Cundall’s collaboration with the University of East London (UEL) and its Architecture department has been long-standing, involving student tutoring and the creation of the Trillium Pavilion. I was lucky to be part of this continuous collaboration as a designer and structural consultant, during my year in industry placement at Cundall before returning to university to complete my master’s degree. It’s been a truly rewarding experience, offering a unique perspective on how industry and academia can come together.

Creation of the Quadralis Pavilion

Together with UEL students and faculty, we designed the Quadralis Pavilion, a timber structure made of stacked joists arranged in a pattern inspired by Da Vinci’s reciprocal systems. Our key design goals were buildability, modularity, and reusability, reflecting the iterative process shaped by open dialogue between architects and engineers. We aimed to strike a balance between organic and parametric, decorative and structural, and what made the process special was that everyone involved had a voice in shaping the design.

For UEL’s end-of-year show 2025, the students built a 1:4 scale model of the pavilion. The digital fabrication team at UEL also contributed by designing a 3D-printed concrete base, which was prototyped in plastic for the mock-up.  

Seeing the physical model for the first time was a proud moment, something I had only visualised on screen was now materialised. From that mock-up, the design evolved into a table, which we later had the opportunity to build and showcase with students at Shanghai University.  

Mentoring

In addition to the pavilion project, I worked alongside structural engineer Vera Sehlstedt to deliver technical tutorials for UEL’s architecture students. These sessions focused on structural principles such as connection design, load-bearing systems, and material use. It was both fun and creatively challenging to help students find feasible solutions without compromising their design intent. Some students initially expected us to dismiss unconventional ideas, but when we offered options that supported their vision, they were genuinely surprised. It was a great reminder of how important it is to foster collaboration between architects and engineers, not competition. 

It didn’t stop just at the design

Another highlight was contributing to a master’s thesis by Naomi Nakoulma, the lead designer of the Quadralis Pavilion. She reached out for input on timber design, 3D printing in clay, and façade systems. It was an interesting experience to participate in discussions on topics such as standardisation and customisation in construction, from an industry and academic point of view.  

The Quadralis Pavilion project has given me so much more than just technical skills. It’s helped me grow as a designer, a tutor, and a collaborator. I’m incredibly grateful for the experience and excited to see the pavilion come to life at full scale next year in London.