The temporary pavilion made of ephemeral materials — recycled plastic bags, Tetrabriks, styrofoam, what have you — is slowly but surely losing its novelty. Organic-looking, inhabitable blobs made of welded-together yogurt cups and modular fortresses of stacked shipping palettes can still coax out a few retweets and Facebook likes in support, but in the end, …Continue Reading
Archivo de la etiqueta: temporary architecture
Detroit’s Existential-Sounding Empty Pavilion
No, the Empty Pavilion isn’t a shrine to Albert Camus. Located in the Detroit, Michigan, an area synonymous with urban blight, this new structure aims to promote interaction through empty space (something Detroit has in spades!). Created by McLain Clutter and Kyle Reynolds, the project is an experiment in public space and will remain in
Annabelle Selldorf To Design Frieze Masters Pavilion
Image © Selldorf Architects and Frieze
Frieze Masters, a new section of the massive art fair Frieze London, has announced details of the pavilion that will house its inaugural edition. The appointed architect is Annabelle Selldorf of Selldorf Architects. Read more!
Frieze Masters will be open to public between October 11 and 14 in Regent’s Park. According to a statement, the architect aims to design a contemporary, elegant environment in which ancient and modern art can be shown side by side. Says Selldorf: “Knowing that a range of art from a very wide time period would be shown at Frieze Masters, I wanted to find a solution that would give each gallery their own contained space where they could control the light and finishes but still maintain an overriding feeling of unity and sophistication to the fair.”
Photo: Elle Decor
Selldorf Architects, based in New York, has extensive expertise in the specific demands of cultural and art-related projects, having designed galleries and museums for art ranging from the ancient to the contemporary in a variety of urban contexts.
With a design based on the interplay of light and air, the Frieze Masters pavilion will feature high ceilings, natural light, tall silver birch trees, and park benches along the circulation system, enhancing the visitors’ experience of being in a park setting. Transparent walls around the cafés and entrances will bring in the beauty of Regent’s Park, allowing for interaction between interior and exterior space. The pavilion has been conceived to neither draw attention to nor deny the structure’s temporary character. It order to accommodate variety, it provides a series of enclaves that creates an intimate viewing experience. A refined palette of greys and whites has been the natural choice for the color scheme, in order to keep it neutral but luminous. We look forward to seeing more images!
Since the founding of Frieze London in 2003, the event’s temporary architecture has represented a significant feature of its visual identity. The fair has employed a series of internationally recognized architectural firms: Carmody Groarke (2011–2012), Caruso St John (2008-2010), Jamie Fobert (2006–2007), and David Adjaye (2003-2005). The first edition of Frieze New York, that took place earlier this year, was designed by SO – IL Architects (2012).
Pavilion by Carmody Groarke (2011–2012)
Pavilion by Caruso St John (2008-2010)
Pop-up stars: temporary contemporary architecture
From huge temporary stadia to tiny transitory event spaces, pop-up architecture fulfils many roles and comes in many guises. In some cases the very latest technologies are used to engineer complex structures, while in others a readymade approach using scavenged materials is more appropriate. Architonic examines some key pop-up projects that are designed to make [...]
Rockwell Group Designs New Pavilion For The Hamptons
New York-based architect David Rockwell has been tapped to design an outdoor performance center for the Southampton Center to house cultural activities while the nearby Southampton Parish Art Museum undergoes a multi-year renovation. The pavilion, which can accommodate up to 300 people, will open with a series of theater, film, and live music events next summer, before being converted into an ice skating rink later in the winter.
The design consists of a large cylinder 80-feet in diameter and 35-feet high that’s described by the architects as a “portable and eco-friendly venue”. Composed of steel trusses wrapped in red fabric, the open air structure features an undulating curtain system which can be used to protect the interior space from the elements.
As pavilions go, this one is not the most adventurous, which is fine considering its location and intended use. This is, after all, a structure meant predominantly for a single community, whose members will already know about it and who will be happy to use it no matter what it looks like. In fact, it’s refreshing that the town opted out of any flash and instead, went for something that would simply work.
Images: Rockwell Group
The Wahaca Southbank Experiment by Softroom Architects (UK)
Eight recycled shipping containers have been converted into a new pop-up branch of London’s popular Mexican eatery, Wahaca, by the London-based practice Softroom Architects. The brightly-coloured, riverfront structure was erected on Southbank, right in front of the contrastingly monolithic Queen Elizabeth Hall, to coincide with the Southbank Centre’s summer-long Festival of the World. Boasting a dining area spacious enough to [...]
Serpentine Gallery Pavilion by Herzog & de Meuron and Ai Weiwei (CH/CN)
Following their iconic National Stadium conceived for Beijing’s Summer Olympics 2008, the acclaimed Swiss architectural practice Herzog & de Meuron and the ubiquitous Chinese artist Ai Weiwei have joined their creative forces once again, this time designing the recently-opened Serpentine Gallery Pavilion 2012. Featuring a sky-reflecting floating roof suspended 1.4 metres above ground, the cork-clad Pavilion features eleven columns representative [...]
An Architectural Homage to the Lobster
Two summers ago, I dove headfirst into the oft-romanticized restaurant industry: I tumbled out of liberal arts school, wrapped a bandana around my head, and started a full-time stint at Luke’s Lobster on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. My days were spent inside a neatly packaged, satellite New England, toasting split-top buns, dishing out chowder samples and tending to customers in and interior furnished with driftwood, lobster traps and colorful buoys. Kitsch aside, the people at Luke’s were proud of their establishment, putting every ounce of faith behind their mission and their menu, and my naïve outlook on food service was only perpetuated.
This is perhaps why I was drawn to a recent project put forth by 13 architecture, art and design students from Laval University in Canada. “A Thousand Traps to Escape” is a simple and sweet testament to sustainable, vernacular and community-based architecture. Crafted out of wood and fishnet and bent into its conventionally arched shape, the lobster cage is an emblem of a sincere niche fishing industry built on timeless techniques and candid hard work. The team of students at Laval recycled the traps by stacking them to form a large P-shaped pavilion on the sand. The simple barricade creates a site-specific alcove perfect for picnics and bonfires. “A Thousand Traps” pays homage to an important industry in Northeast Canada and provides a welcoming gathering space on the beach.
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