{"id":48488,"date":"2016-12-21T19:09:13","date_gmt":"2016-12-21T18:09:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/bubble-hirshhorn-museum-and-sculpture-garden-expansion\/"},"modified":"2017-10-31T17:17:58","modified_gmt":"2017-10-31T16:17:58","slug":"bubble-hirshhorn-museum-and-sculpture-garden-expansion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.area-arch.it\/en\/bubble-hirshhorn-museum-and-sculpture-garden-expansion\/","title":{"rendered":"Bubble: Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden Expansion"},"content":{"rendered":"

The \u2018Bubble\u2018 is an inflatable structure that entirely occupies the cylindrical courtyard of the Hirshhorn Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art, designed by Gordon Bunshaft and built in 1974. The Bubble is an architecture of air \u2013 an anti-monument that sits among the stately stone buildings that line the National Mall in Washington D.C. The pneumatic structure consists of a\u00a0 <\/span>thin translucent membrane that squeezes into the void of the doughnut-shaped Modernist concrete building and oozes out of the top and beneath its mass. The temporary structure is designed to be erected once or twice a year, allowing the museum to optimize its footprint by programming the courtyard space. The additional 1,050 square meters of sheltered space can accommodate audiences of 450\u2013500 for an array of public events including performances, films, lectures, and conferences, as well as a caf\u00e9 and amenities. The Bubble\u2019s form is shaped by a series of cable rings that constrict the membrane, pulling it away from the inner wall of the courtyard, while another set of cables tethers it into place.\u00a0 <\/span>The translucent membrane of the structure, which allows natural light into the event space during the day, exudes a subtle glow from within when illuminated at night.<\/p>\n