Our solution was the 3M LifeLab. It’s a pavilion made from 3M materials that was filled with 3M innovations.

Architects used 3D modeling software to generate a design based on crystal molecules and the new 3M visual identity, which was based on triangles.

The modular structure was made of aluminum pipe that snapped together using over 1,200 unique 3D printed joints and sockets. This was an innovating and groundbreaking way to construct a pavilion.

A canopy made of 3M dichroic film, refracted color and also cast a dynamic landscape of light that changed throughout the day.

Product displays were integrated into the structure of the pavilion, and all of the interior elements were laminated with glossy-white Di-Noc, a 3M architectural finish.

To deploy the structure in a very short time, we used over 3,000 3M cable ties to construct the interior elements as well as the complex 3M dichroic ceiling.

The exterior was a custom surface of triangular panels of 3M Scotchlite reflective fabric that were held together using zippers. These panels could be unzipped and then act as windows into the pavilion.

In just three days, 9,000 people visited the 3M LifeLab, which was three times the attendance from the previous year. The multicolored canopy of the pavilion proved to be Instagram friendly, with thousands of social shares. Not one person left the building thinking that 3M just made tape and Post-it notes.