NAS Architecture installs wooden "vortex" over medieval city wall in France
This tunnel made up of wooden profiles was designed by NAS Architecture to arch over the fortifications surrounding a historic commune in the south of France (+ slideshow).
![Haven Pavilion by NAS Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/Haven-pavilion_NAS-Architecture_dezeen_936_14.jpg)
Described by NAS Architecture as a vortex, the Haven installation was commissioned by the heritage organisation National Monuments Center of France. It wraps over the medieval ramparts surrounding Aigues-Mortes.
![Haven Pavilion by NAS Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/Haven-pavilion_NAS-Architecture_dezeen_936_0.jpg)
The pavilion is made up of 10 plywood sheets that each feature a uniquely shaped cutout. When assembled in a linear formation, the negative spaces line up to create an arched tunnel.
![Haven Pavilion by NAS Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/Haven-pavilion_NAS-Architecture_dezeen_936_7.jpg)
"The aim was to play with contrasts and to provide another way for walking on the old walls," architect Johan Laure told Dezeen. "We wanted to create a negative shape that acted as a vortex, and metaphorically represented the passage of time."
"The wooden shape corresponds to two different uses – the interior and the exterior," Laure said. "From the interior the aim was to create a new geometry to the passage by disrupting the straight lines of the rampart which were necessary for a defence construction like this one."
![Haven Pavilion by NAS Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/Haven-pavilion_NAS-Architecture_dezeen_936_3.jpg)
Elevated hoardings from the Middle Ages were a starting point for the studio, whose past projects include a mirrored waterfront pavilion in Marseille that moved with the wind. The hoardings provided a reference for how to install the structure at such a height.
![Haven Pavilion by NAS Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/Haven-pavilion_NAS-Architecture_dezeen_936_5.jpg)
They also sought to emphasise the contrast between the ramparts and the wooden sheets, aiming to create a pavilion that is "as present as the rampart on some points of view".
![Haven Pavilion by NAS Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/Haven-pavilion_NAS-Architecture_dezeen_936_2.jpg)
"We were inspired by the density of the materiality," said Laure. "The rampart is strong and very present, so we were thinking about a system that can allow the pavilion to be as present as the rampart on some points of view and sometimes very fragile."
![Haven Pavilion by NAS Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/Haven-pavilion_NAS-Architecture_dezeen_936_1.jpg)
From the outside, visual trickery makes it difficult to understand how the structure is suspended, and the angular form appears to take on a "softer shape".
![Haven Pavilion by NAS Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/Haven-pavilion_NAS-Architecture_dezeen_936_10.jpg)
"From the outside the pavilion appears to have a softer shape than the interior," said Laure. "At first glance you can't understand how the pavilion is hanging, and the aim was to create a shape that seems to interact with the rampart as a plier, and is humble and respectful to its history."
![Haven Pavilion by NAS Architecture](https://static.dezeen.com/uploads/2015/10/Haven-pavilion_NAS-Architecture_dezeen_936_13.jpg)
Other modern additions to historical fortresses include a pavilion of wooden walkways in the grounds of a Copenhagen castle, and a limestone-clad visitor centre at a Portuguese stronghold.
Photography is by NAS Architecture.