diller & scofidio : the blur building, a project of an inhabitable cloud whirling above lake neuchatel in switzerland ............................................................
......................... shop .................. competitions .............. education ................ interviews ................... snapshots ................... history .......... contemporary
diller & scofidio: the blur building 15. 05. - 20. 10. 2002 swiss national expo 2002, yverdon-les-bains, switzerland http://www.expo.02.ch the centerpiece pavilion of the the sixth swiss national exhibition is a suspended platform shrouded in a perpetual cloud of man - made fog, designed by architects elizabeth diller and ricardo scofidio. the cloud can host up to 400 visitors. the so called 'blur pavillion' is visible from afar. the building consists of a 60 x 100 x 20 - metre metal construction that sprays innumerable tiny drops of lake water from 31400 jets. the high-pressure spraying technology ensures that the fleeting sculpture will be visible in all weathers, rain or shine. the high-pressure spraying is carried out by high-grade steel jets with tiny apertures only 120 microns in diameter, through which the water is forced at a pressure of 80 bars onto fine needlepoints directly above the apertures and atomised into innumerable tiny droplets 4 to 10 microns in diameter. the droplets are so small that most of them remain suspended in the air. if sufficient jets are installed in a specific volume, they saturate the air with moisture and create the effect of mist or, in this case, the effect known as the blur. walking down the long ramp, visitors arrive on a large open - air platform at the center of the fog mass where the only sound to be heard is the white noise of pulsing water nozzles. computers are adjusting the strength of the spray according to the different climactic conditions of temperature, humidity, wind speed and direction. the fog mass changes from minute to minute. the blur building expands and produces long fog trails in high winds, rolls outward at cooler temperatures, and moves up or down depending on air temperatures. see more on the blur effect raincoates the interactive media project features also a wearable, wireless technology embedded into 'brain coats', technologically - enhanced raincoats. visitors’ brain coats will react to each other, indicating either positive or negative affinity between visitors through color changes and sound. tests the architects and the different technical teams have had a month in which to carry out the necessary tests. see http://www.blurbuilding.com diller & scofidio the focus of diller & scofidio is as much about the nature of space as it is about creating spaces. their architectural practice utilizes design, performance, and electronic media with architectural and cultural theory as accompanying tools to investigate architecture as a field of social relationships and to remind us that architecture is everywhere. --- --- see the diller & scofidio biography --- --- ------- monthly designboom newsletter ------- ------- ? comments and contact us ? -------	computer sketch of the 'blur building' courtesy of diller and scofidio aerial view of the 'blur building' on lake neuchatel courtesy of diller and scofidio the 'blur building' courtesy of diller and scofidio the 'blur building's basement courtesy of diller and scofidio aerial view of the 'blur building' on lake neuchatel, swiss expo 2002 courtesy of diller and scofidio walking down the ramp. longitudinal section of the 'blur building' courtesy of diller and scofidio the construction of the artificial cloud courtesy of diller and scofidio the blur effect