BETULA STOOL, 2025 I Birch Bark Ply, Birch wood, linseed oil varnish
With our birch bark stool, we are saying goodbye to 2025.
We carry it across the threshold and will open the next chapter in the new year.
We are excited to see how the project develops.
Stool: studiofrege and WERCK in collaboration with Tim Mergelsberg and Sagaan. Screwless Constructions – Ongoing Collaboration with Arne Maxim Koll ;)
Bild 2-5 Samuel Barckhausen
Bild 6 Felix Dick
ROTUNDA x BETULA - is our competition entry for this years Copenhagen Architecture Biennial CAFx.
A five-metre-high, five-metre-wide circular pavilion made from 342 identical stools crafted from birch bark and reclaimed wood. Our design proposal for the Søren Kierkegaards Plads is serving as both a welcoming information hub as well as a space for contemplation and slowing down. The project aims to spark dialogue on adaptive reuse, bio-based materials, and experimental construction methods.
The exterior features white birch bark panels that shimmer in changing light, while the brown inner side softens sound and offers a quiet retreat from the city. Each modular stool measures 450 × 450 mm and combines reclaimed wood with triple-layered birch ply.
We developed the birch-bark plywood material especially for the project in collaboration with material expert Tim Mergelsberg.
Birch bark, though ancient, is light, waterproof, rot-resistant, biodegradable, and can be harvested sustainably.
The stools are designed to be plugged and pinned together, allowing for easy assembly, transport, and storage. The pavilion is built in eleven rows—upright stools at the base and top, horizontal ones in between—to create the circular form. Special connectors made from wood offcuts ensure stability and correct spacing. Construction and dismantling take no more than two days.
After the Biennial, the pavilion can be disassembled and rebuilt elsewhere—or the stools can be gifted or auctioned for a good cause. 🤍
Team: Katharina Benjamin, Lina Thürer, Tom Erdmann (studiofrege) Samuel Barckhausen, Nora Noack (werck.workshop)
Structural engineering consultancy by Wataru Furuya. @bls_engineer
Material consultancy and mock-up @tim.mergelsberg
Competion Entry 2025: @copenhagenarchitecturebiennial@revalu.io
Competition Entry | Kasino | Extension School Davos Platz | 2022 | Studio Frege | Model Making > Fritz Modellbau
#archdrawing #aussenperspektive #architekturzeichnung #schulbau #schoolbuilding
