Gives an idea of concept, designing and planning of Drift Pavilion, US

1. DRIFT PAVILION FOR DESIGN IN MIAMI BEACH
( FLORIDA, UNITED STATES )
New York based practice Snarkitecture is one of the firms whose work is being presented at Design
Miami / 2012 alongside many projects by world renowned architects including the likes of OMA, Zaha
Hadid and Herzog and De Meuron.
Their entry pavilion, ‘drift,’ welcomes visitors from around the globe to the main venue of the week-long
event, where professionals alike can view exhibitions from international creatives, both established and
emerging on an equal platform. The structure, loosely echoing the concepts in David Adjaye’s design for last
year’s fair, features a light metal box frame sandwiching a cluster of vertical inflated vinyl tubes. Sliding
along the same plane, the compilation of air-filled cylinders creates a canopy which forms an inclining
topography, inversely forming a cave below inviting guests to linger a while before entering. Small crevices
and voids in the massive overhead structure allow slivers of natural light to penetrate and bounce around the
white material palette. Below the hanging stalactites is an open space filled with custom flexible grey tube
seats made by the architects encouraging interaction and conversation amongst visitors.

2. New York studio Snarkitecture has hidden the Design Miami collectors fair behind a facade of inflatable
sausages. Since 2008, Design Miami has worked with emerging architectural practices to re-imagine the
traditional tent. The designs of Aranda Lasch and Moorehead & Moorehead have slit, pinched, woven,
latticed and inverted the clear span tent, both experimenting with unconventional materials and custom-
engineering the modular components to create new structures and façades. This December, NY-based
collaborative practice Snarkitecture takes tent manipulation to new heights. Visitors to Design Miami/ 2012
will be welcomed by Drift, a floating environment comprised of massive inflatable tubes, resembling a
topographical landscape in suspension: an ascending mountain above and an excavated cavern.
THE PAVILION BY NIGHT

3. The cascading cylinders of Drift lift to create paths of circulation around hanging stalactite forms, providing
visitors with a meandering gateway to the fair. Apertures in the canopy above frame views of the Miami sky
and allow sunlight into the shaded pavilion. Filtered light passes between the tubes of the excavated cavern,
creating a space at the confluence of interaction, conversation and contemplation.
Approached by inflatable structure manufacturer Inflate, Snarkitecture’s Alex Mustonen and Daniel
Arsham were inspired to reimagine the material of the familiar white vinyl tent, via a large-scale tubular
landscape. Incorporating their reductive design methodology, the studio sought to create an unexpected
moment of exploration for visitors entering and exiting the fair.
Snarkitecture clad the Design Miami tent with weiner-shaped vinyl tubes, bundling them together at
different heights to create a shaded social space at the entrance. "We're always trying to make objects
perform in unexpected ways and do things that they shouldn't really be doing," artist and designer Daniel
Arsham of Snarkitecture. "So that sort of notion translates across our practice in general, as well as using a
kind of limited palette, a limited range of materials."
The vinyl is the material that is used for the tent but is transform the way that it's presented. So these inflated
tubes that are raised and lowered to create a sort of reverse landscape.

4. END CAP
Their final design will also feature a courtyard seating installation, which will serve as a place for visitors to
relax, socialize and enjoy the view.