Dezeen: Experimental Pavilion in Oregon “Challenges the Rectilinear Logic” of Mass Timber
A collaborative mass timber pavilion by Lake Flato and StructureCraft, created for the 2026 International Mass Timber Conference, explores the evolving potential of dowel-laminated timber (DLT). The installation challenges long-standing conventions of mass timber construction, demonstrating a new structural and spatial language driven by curvature, efficiency, and material intelligence.
April 2, 2026
“The installation introduces a bending-active shell system formed from dowel-laminated timber (DLT), which challenges the rectilinear logic that has defined mass timber construction for decades,” shares Lake Flato partner, Ryan Yaden.
“It doesn’t use nails, it doesn’t use glue. It only uses friction between wood. And that’s what was really enticing for us, why we really gravitated to it. We’re trying to reduce the impact on the environment.”
“It’s almost like fabric, but once it’s put together in certain ways, it becomes extremely rigid. It just drapes into place and then locks together,” shares Partner, Ryan Yaden.