Gwyllim Jahn, Cameron Newnham (Fologram), Soomeen Hahm Design, Igor Pantic and Format Engineers designed the stunning piece 'Steampunk' at the 5th Tallinn Architecture Biennale (TAB 2019) in Estonia. Steampunk is a pavilion crafted from steam-bent solid wood using primitive hand tools, enhanced with analog devices and the differences of mixed reality environments. It is focused on a hybrid approach that reinterprets the primitive tools of architecture with a contemporary perspective. Demonstrating that complex digital models can be handcrafted without traditional drawings or CNC machine codes, the pavilion aims to democratize the production of more performative, expressive, and customized architectural designs and to serve as a deliberate polemic in the context of widespread robotic production and automation. This liberates digital expression from the constraints of digital production, opening up opportunities for nuances and material distributions composed of material components, which trigger the architectural presence of the pavilion.

The installation built for the biennale aligns with the main theme of 'Beauty Matters' by responding to alienating and ecologically unsound built environments, elevating the qualities of beauty in response.