Summer in Washington DC can be a sweltering affair. Elected officials decamp the city during its muggiest months, but for those who stay behind or choose to visit, relief tends to come in one of two ways: head to one of the region's beaches or just stay indoors. For its new architecture installation at the National Building Museum, New York design firm Snarkitecture set out to combine the best of both worlds with its design for an indoor beach – of sorts, anyway.
With no sand or water in sight, 'The Beach' is more of an interpretation; as Snarkitecture senior associate Benjamin Porto puts it, 'we abstracted the architectural elements of a beach'. Sand and water? Translucent plastic balls. Shore? Astroturf. And the horizon line? A panel of mirrors.
Taking over the museum's expansive atrium space, the installation covers 930 sq m with over a million balls, allowing visitors to wade through a sea of spheres. 'The balls act like water,' explains Porto, highlighting the project's emphasis on interactivity. 'You can't just walk through it. It forces you to interact with it.' If its 4 July opening day was any indication, visitors will use the space like an actual bay, floating on the surface of the 'water', diving underneath, and lounging on the shoreline.
Those who might see more of a potential petri dish than a beach can rest easy. Manufactured by the North Carolina-based plastics company Intertech Corp, the balls are made with a new anti-microbial material.
'The Beach' is a de facto follow up to last summer's 'BIG maze' installation at the National Building Museum – a plywood labyrinth designed by Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG). It will be open until Labor Day, which this year falls on 7 September.
The installation is an interpretation of an indoor beach, with the sand/water reconceived as translucent plastic balls, the shore as astroturf and the horizon line as a panel of mirrors
'The balls act like water,' explains Snarkitecture senior associate Benjamin Porto, highlighting the project's emphasis on interactivity. 'You can't just walk through it. It forces you to interact with it'
On its opening on 4 July, visitors used the space like an actual beach, floating on the surface of the 'water', diving underneath, and lounging on the shoreline
The installation covers 930 sq m with over one million translucent plastic balls, allowing visitors to wade through a sea of spheres
True to form, 'The Beach' will be open through to the traditional end of the American summer, Labor Day – this year falling on 7 September
ADDRESS
National Building Museum
401 F St NW
Washington DC 20001
United States
-
Pininfarina Battista Reversario is a new one-off electric hypercarThe all-electric Pininfarina Battista Reversario is joining its aesthetic inverse in an ultra-select car collector’s garage. We take a look at a car built to a very precise order
-
Fernando Jorge’s fluid diamond earrings show his curve appealDiscover Brazilian jewellery designer Fernando Jorge's snake-like silhouettes and graphic shapes
-
Abreham Brioschi debuts Ethiopia-inspired rugs for NodusAbreham Brioschi teams up with luxury rug experts Nodus to translate visions from his heritage into a tactile reality
-
A low-energy farmhouse provides a rural escape in North CarolinaThis low-energy farmhouse is a net zero architectural re-set for a Californian client, an East Coast relocation for a more engaged and low-key lifestyle
-
A Petra Island house rises from Frank Lloyd Wright's original drawingsBased on Frank Lloyd Wright drawings, the cantilevering Petra Island Massaro House, located in New York’s Hudson Valley, is now open to visitors
-
An Upper West Side apartment by General Assembly nods to its historyAn Upper West Side apartment in New York, born out of the reimagining of two neighbouring units, is refreshed by General Assembly for a young family
-
New York's Leica store echoes the brand's blend of heritage and innovationLeica store throws open its doors in New York's Meatpacking District, courtesy of Brooklyn based Format Architecture Office
-
Hudson Valley Residence is a low-lying retreat that seamlessly blends into the horizonDesigned by HGX Design, Hudson Valley Residence is a scenic home offering unobstructed views across the Catskill Mountains in Upstate New York
-
Boise Passive House’s bold gestures support an environmentally friendly designBoise Passive House by Haas Architecture combines sleek, contemporary design and environmental efficiency
-
At the Hilbert Museum of California Art’s expanded home, art and architecture convergeThe Hilbert Museum of California Art expands its home, courtesy of Los Angeles architecture studio Johnston Marklee
-
Pearlman Cabin by John Lautner is an organic Californian mountain retreatJohn Lautner’s midcentury Pearlman Cabin, tucked away in the Californian mountain resort of Idyllwild, is a striking example of organic architecture
