WORLD’S FAIR PAVILION

The Nelson Atkins Museum of Art in Kansas City hosted a competition to design a temporary pavilion to complement the exhibition Inventing the Modern World: Decorative Arts at the World’s Fairs, 1851–1939. The pavilion was to provide a sophisticated and visually compelling example of architecture and/or design and employ innovative technologies and sustainable materials. We looked to the biological world for inspiration. We used Ambient Glow Technology which absorbs the suns energy and glows at night, mimicking photoluminescence. A light steel structure acts as a minimally visible endoskeleton made with recycled clear coated steel. Cable diagonals created lateral bracing for the frame while also supporting the glowing “skin” of clear glass mason jars – which had originally been displayed at a World’s Fair. The bottles are filled with yellow/green AGT which at night will appear to be swarming like fire flies – one of the most widely-known luminescent creatures.

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