See Lisbon's incredible slot-together pavilion

Kairos Triennale pavilion eschews screws or glues and is formed instead by some rather clever concrete panels

We're very keen on the Lisbon Triennale, which takes place in the Portuguese capital from 12 September to 15 December this year. On 13 September, we're hosting our own Phaidon Atlas Talk, at the MUDE Auditorium, in the city. This is the first event in a worldwide series of public discussions, wherein prominent architects and commentators will talk over current global issues related to the built environment; the Lisbon talk also marks the launch of the Phaidon Atlas, our first dedicated digital project for contemporary architecture.

Yet, we're equally taken with some of the Triennale venues, which includes this concrete pavilion, assembled from prefabricated concrete blocks. It's called Kairos, which is the Greek word for an opportune moment, and its pieces simply slot together, without the need for glue or fixings. It was designed and built by the architects Joao Quintela and Tim Simon, a Portuguese and German architectural duo, and it will host site-specific events and exhibitions during the Triennale.

Kairos is a square building, measuring 7.2 metres by 3.6 metres, and consists of a two-storey outer, covered walkway surrounding an open-air inner courtyard. The design is intentionally simple; space, say the architects, is the central theme of Kairos. "It's an investigation into proportions and the relationship between the small scale of the isolated module and the large scale of the whole building itself in relation with the context."

And as for that construction technique, visitors will have to trust to gravity. "The space is built by a very easy and primitive constructive system of overlapping and joining pieces, taking advantage of their own weight," say Simon and Quintela.

The Triennale, say the organisers, "will provide a platform for emerging practitioners and protagonists whose work and interests are far from a traditional client-architect model." Kairos, which is a non-profit project partially funded by the local concrete firm Gracifer, seems like an apt inclusion here.

To find out more about Kairos go here. To learn more about the Triennale, go here. Lastly, for further reading on other ingenious architectural uses of aggregate and cement, take a look at our great book on the grey matter - Concrete.

ConcreteEdited by William Hall, with an essay by Leonard Koren

This book is a celebration of concrete: collating fascinating and beautiful images of concrete structures from the breathtaking New York Guggenheim to coldly functional aircraft hangars, Concrete will engage anyone interested in architecture and encourage them to think about the sculptural qualities of buildings. Familiar icons by Le Corbusier and Tadao Ando are featured alongside vernacular structures such as petrol stations, vast power plants and London Zoo’s famous penguin pool. Specifications:

Format: Hardback
Size: 290 × 250 mm (11 3/8 × 9 7/8 in)
Pages: 240 pp
Illustrations: 175 illustrations
ISBN: 9780714863542

William Hall trained at Central Saint Martins and began his career in the office of the minimalist architect John Pawson. Formerly a Design Director at Phaidon Press, Hall now runs his own design practice in London, working with clients such as Calvin Klein, Henry Moore Institute and Tate.

Leonard Koren has written and designed a number of books including Wabi-Sabi for Artists, Designers, Poets & Philosophers. In 1976, two years after studying architecture at UCLA, he founded WET, one of the premier avant-garde publications of the 1970s. He now consults on the subject of design, aesthetics, and communications. He lives in San Francisco.

"Concrete is a beautifully designed book. It is also a thought-provoking exploration of an important subject."—John Pawson

"What a surprising and beautiful book – a parade of amazing buildings."—Peter York

"Yes, concrete can be cold and imposing - but as the 175 structures in the book attest, it can also be colorful, playful, and delicate."—Wall Street Journal

"The eye candy here, from the graceful to the brash is enough to open the mind of any skeptic."—Atlantic Cities

"Afresh look at [...] the world's most versatile and abundant building material... Urges us to reconsider its merits and its contribution to architecture... A global tour of inspiring and intriguing structures."—Self Build & Design

"Concrete has acquired a reputation as a cheap and bland building material. This book sets the record straight, putting forward 100 years worth of elegant, exciting and at times poetic architectural masterpieces."—David Nicholls, Daily Telegraph

"Superbly illustrated... Many of the world's best architectural photographers who have caught the play of light and shade, the elemental shapes, the smooth or artfully roughened surfaces to suggest an architecture of pristine, lasting beauty."—Marcus Binney, The Times

"The sweeping survey of buildings featured in Concrete illustrates the material's chameleonlike versatility, from the Pantheon's coffered dome to Le Corbusier's Villa Savoye."—ELLE Decor

"The book is a vivid reminder of the sheer endurance, unexpected delicacy, and humor of architecture's humble hero."—Architectural Digest