FRAMING DISPERSION

This project, in collaboration with Mariana Garcia Rendon, is a love letter to the city of Barcelona, which I studied abroad in during the summer of 2021. The project addresses an old, infrastructural element on the coast. The team considered the potential of the site and the popularity of the beach, and the project seeks to expand the timetables at the water's edge while contrasting the linearity and strict organization that Barcelona is known for.

Studies took place, analyzing the current usage of the beach and what sort of activities took place there. 

The result of the study was a thorough interest in the quality of water versus land and the properties of dispersion in contrast with fragmentation. A pavilion that reflects this nature was erected over the waters of the Mediterranean, and further expounded upon in future development.

The pavilion touts a free plan, with subtle elements such as curved walls that can encourage or influence direction. The furniture, similarly shaped to the platforms themselves, is modular and can be adjusted to fit for one's necessary use. The most striking element of the pavilion - the overhead space frame - boasts plastic cushions of ETFE. This new technology is climate controlled, dynamic, sturdy, and lightweight. Each cushion is made up of tinted, fritted plastic that casts an interactive and varying atmosphere onto the patrons below. 

Exterior to the main pavilion are swim-up "activity islands", devoted to the idea of expanding the beach's timetables and encouraging further activity in the area. Even at night, patrons can continue to experience the beautiful beaches of Barcelona, as the LED-lit cushions of the main pavilion cast beautiful colors and shades among the sand and sea.