by Jason Sayer, The Architect’s Newsaper

Japanese architect Kengo Kuma has designed a billowing geometric pavilion for the Phillipe Gravier Gallery at the biannual Design Miami/Basel 2016 design forum.

Called Owan, Kuma’s pavilion aims to establish a dialogue between architecture and the landscape by employing an undulating mesh-like structural shell. Owan‘s design also derives from the curvature often found in fish scales and traditional tea bowls from Kuma’s homeland.

The pavilion’s shell can be altered, changing its relationship to the site and its interior dimensions. Though appearing porous, Owan is lined with a thin waterproof membrane that can move in the wind along with the lightweight structure.

In the video above, you can see how the structure responds to light. Given the structure’s intended natural environment, the trajectory of the sun should play in important role in the pavilion’s performance.

Design Miami/ (June 14 – 19) is a forum that has a strong pedigree in the world of design collectables. Kuma’s Owan will be presented at the forum’s “Design at Large,” which will also exhibit further large-scale installations under the theme of “tea house,” notably Ron Arad’s Armadillo Tea Canopy by Revolution Precrafted.

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