Danish studio Rex Skov Arkitekter aims to explore the potential of seaweed as a sustainable building material with its Biosack pavilion at Copenhagen's Chart Art Fair, which was captured in this video produced for the Dezeen x ChartArt Fair 2022 collaboration.

Called Biosack, the structure is one of five temporary pavilions installed in the courtyards of the Charlottenborg mansion during the 10th annual edition of Chart Art Fair in Copenhagen.

Designed by Rex Skov Arkitekter, which is made up of Anders Lynderup, Michael Skov and Marie Louise Thorning, the pavilion has a structure made from laminated timber salvaged from a social housing project in Odense, Denmark.

The Biosack pavilion is topped with a seaweed roof

The pavilion was topped with a roof made entirely of seaweed. It references a traditional architectural typology specific to the Danish island of Læsø, where homes were built with voluminous roofs of woven and bundled seaweed.

The interior of the pavilion has a floor covered in seashells and a bar made of compressed seaweed where oysters will be served during the art fair.

With the pavilion, the design team aimed to draw attention to the construction industry's contribution to carbon emissions and the need for more sustainable materials within the industry.

It wants to draw attention to the potential for seaweed to be used as a more sustainable alternative to traditional roofing materials as they claim it actively stores the carbon it absorbed in its lifetime and is naturally fire-proof as it is "impregnated with salt".

"The pavilion responds to the need for sustainable architecture, using material that stores atmospheric carbon dioxide bonds, rather than emitting them," the team said.

The pavilion was built as part of Chart Art Fair's annual architecture competition, which this year invited proposals that respond to the theme of bio-architecture.

The five pavilions at the fair were selected by a jury of architects and design specialists including BIG founder Bjarke Ingels, Snøhetta co-founder Kjetil Trædal Thorsen, speculative designer Pleun van Dijk, curator Maria Foerlev, author Ditte Lysgaard Vind and Johanne Hestvold, who will choose an overall winner at the end of the fair.

Also displayed at Chart Art Fair is Dune, a greenhouse-like pavilion that encloses Danish sand and plants to create a "dynamic ecosystem".

Pavilions from previous years have included a restaurant covered with microgreens and a structure made out of inflatable bags, which responded to the theme of social architecture.

Now in its 10th year, Chart Art Fair is an annual event comprising exhibitions, talks, performances, music and book fairs, bringing together art enthusiasts, design professionals and collaborators.

The photography is by Joakim Züger/Barks Projects.

Chart Art Fair takes place from 26 to 28 August 2022 in Copenhagen, Denmark. See Dezeen Events Guide for an up-to-date list of architecture and design events taking place around the world.

Partnership content

This article was written as part of a partnership with Chart Art Fair. Find out more about our partnership content here.