It’s been a while coming but I’ve finally found time to write my first entry to the CIN blog.
I have just got back from seeing Pixar’s latest film release ‘UP’. Great film, built on characters and their emotions rather than spectacle and effects, I thoroughly recommend it, and it is the adverts before the film have given me the theme for this post.
Over the last 20 years we have seen buildings become intelligent, utilising building management systems to control internal environments, making then more efficient and sustainable (more about this in later posts). The idea of buildings becoming physically interactive with their surroundings and altering to adapt to their environment or functional requirements have long be assessed and played with.
The advertising industry, have also used this premise in numerous promotions recently. V waters latest campaign by London based agency 20/20, has an animated figure physically altering his environment to make his journey easier (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APEIUMKCWzc ). Nissans Qashqai advert has buildings coming to life and playing with the nimble ‘crossover’ car (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y3Z5tvzoKsE).
So the question is will this ever become a reality, will buildings be able to physically change to make our lives easier, will buildings become interactive and playful, or is it economically not viable? Well the first tentative steps would seem to have been made.
The Prada Foundation (http://www.fondazioneprada.org) has commissioned starchitect Rem Koolhaas’ practice OMA to design a multi-functional cultural building that will physically change to forefill one of four functions. The Prada Transformer is the result. (http://www.prada-transformer.com).
This temporary pavilion is the latest collaboration between OMA and the Prada, with OMA having designed several of there ‘Epicentre’ stores in New York and San Francisco. The transformer opened in the grounds of Seoul’s 16th-century Gyeonghui Palace in April 2009 and was open for 5 months in total. It housed art, architecture, film and fashion exhibits. Its three sided steel structure is covered with a tensile fabric which is both easy to change and translucent to allow light into the internal spaces.
The idea of a building changing, and not simply being one thing, is an extremely interesting one, which has been proven by the large amount of media interest in the project. It could be the next step for cultural temporary structures, maybe the Serpentine gallery’s yearly temporary pavilion will evolve and transform in the coming years. Whether everyday buildings will become physically adaptive is the larger question, time (and money) will tell.
There are numerous videos of the Prada Transformer on Youtube and images on Flickr if you want to see more.
Simon Foote
Simon Foote Architects Limited, 28-28a Ashbourne Road, Derby