Amidst a cacophony of truck brakes, street sweepers, and ambulance sirens in Manhattan’s East Village, the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and BMW launched the first BMW Guggenheim Lab on Tuesday, which will open to the public on Wednesday, August 3rd. The minimalist open-air structure designed by Tokyo-based Atelier Bow-Wow is a pop-up think tank, event space, and pavilion that will offer free movie screenings, lectures, and workshops relating to the theme of “Confronting Comfort” through October 16.

Constructed on a 25-by-100-foot site within the city-owned First Park, a pocket park between Houston and First Streets at Second Avenue, the lab comprises a 2,200-square-foot carbon structural framework clad in two layers of vinyl mesh fabric that is open on all sides. The ground is paved with simple gray bricks, and white curtains can be drawn around the structure for shade or warmth. Cages on the tented roof contain furniture and equipment, which can be lowered and lifted to accommodate various programs.