Architects at the latest edition of Design Miami, which ran from November 30 to December 4 in the city’s Design District, were all about getting up close and personal, creating spaces where 40,000 fairgoers could interact with—or react to—one another.
These exchanges began even before visitors entered the exhibition. By the doorway, New York–based SHoP Architects, winner of the 2016 Panerai Visionary Award for innovative fabrication and delivery techniques, constructed a public plaza anchored by two 13-foot-tall pavilions. Called Flotsam & Jetsam, the structures resembled jellyfish…and were fabricated by robots from 47 miles of carbon-fiber-reinforced plastic. The impetus was both artistic and practical. “We want to make a mesh strong enough—and we hope eventually cheap enough—to replace a stud wall,” explained Philip Nobel, SHoP’s editorial director. Added SHoP principal Greg Pasquerelli: “There’s something magical about making a pavilion that is technological and beautiful but took only five months from start to finish.” (Postfair, Flotsam & Jetsam moved to the city’s Jungle Plaza, where it will serve as a cultural event space for the next two years.)
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