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The Parasite Pavilion is the outcome of the cooperation between Chinese architect Hsieh Ying Chun and TCA Think Tank, led by Italian architect Pier Alessio Rizzardi. 

The pavilion was organised to create an installation for the Synergy & Symbiosis event during the last Architecture Biennale, which was realised in the vacuum at the garden outside the Chinese Pavilion to attract visitors arriving from the Giardini and Arsenale exhibitions. The Dome offered shade, protection, a place where to escape from the great content of the Absorbing Modernity exhibition, allowing a direct experience of elements of architecture.

The structure in Venezia was used as physical research of fundamental elements of the traditional space. Understanding the basic concepts behind traditional Chinese spaces created the reference to developing the design. 

A layer of non-woven textiles forms the support of the structure and a protection above the ground. On the top, a metal net was the grid to locate the position of the feet of the arches using coordinates.

The workshop uses contemporary and locally produced material, such as wires, metal nets and PVC pipes. The pipes are bent to create self-sustaining arches that guarantees zero impact, as well as a temporary environment for the fragile Venice Biennale venue. PVC was chosen for its structural flexibility, which allows several possible and flexible forms.

The geometry followed two guiding curves defining the surface edges coming from the interaction between the existing structure and composition of the internal space. The 3D model showed the length of the arches and they are cut according to the measures. At this point the arches were ready to be put in tension with wires and fixed to the support, creating the self-sustaining system. Temporary structures bear the arches. Meanwhile, PVC pipes are woven on the arches and fixed using PVC pipe ties.  

The interior was the result of four systems shaped by a single element as a curved mesh, creating different elements of the architecture. The entrance showed itself, inviting visitors to be absorbed from the surrounding, hiding the main room and creating expectation, pushing exploration inside. The corridor opened to the main space, where the scale gets wider as the texture of the ground gets bigger, changing the equilibrium and the sound of the experience.

The Parasite Pavilion has been an experiment, that goes beyond traditional architectural form and composition, to foresee fundamental aspects for Chinese architectural space.