





AIR VAULTS was a proposal for Mextropoli pavilion 2019.
BASE studio
Bárbara Barreda + Felipe Sepúlveda + Matías Ramírez
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AIR VAULTS
AIR VAULTS is an invertebrate pavilion that is proposed as a great space for meeting and interaction for citizens. An urban lounge that by its translucency allows to see and be seen. A place that invites to develop multiple activities, uses and situations both inside and around it, becoming an iconic and recognizable piece for the city and the collective imagination of Mexicans.An ovoidal plant of 17 m. long / 10 m. wide, in which are inscribed three vaults that form a recognizable and variable elevation as reminiscent of the domes of the Palace of Fine Arts located at the other end of the park.The pavilion consists of a large light envelope of translucent pvc color membranes with a diagonalized pattern that controls the deformation generated by the pressure of the interior air. This air is injected by an external fan that operates during the day and is protected during the night. Its patchwork-type manufacturing is made from the marking and cutting of each of the pieces that throws the digital model, and then they are overlapped and fixed between them with adhesive for pvc.It is a pavilion that is more garment than a building: an object made. A soft and flexible piece capable of being reused in different contexts, assembled and disassembled, inflated and deflated quickly, since it is essentially air and skin.