2012 lively architecture festival in montpellier

‘ne dérangez pas mes cercles’ by julie biron, berlin all images courtesy of association champ lee

montpellier, france was home to the seventh lively architecture festival (FAV), where eleven teams from all around the world competed against one another with their unique installations exploring human interaction through the use of material, function and space to create a ‘surprise’. the projects were featured around the city within the courtyards of the most prestigious hotels, giving each one unique opportunities within its environment.

winning first prize, julie biron’s installation explores the definition of space with a series of circular plates supported by a slender flexible metal wire anchored into upside-down concrete filled flower pots. upon first view the disks fill the courtyard as a solid mass, but as the user moves through it the round planes bend and move out of the way, constantly redefining space.

moving through the space

‘byebyeballoon’ by shalumo, bordeaux

the honorable mention winner is an interactive submission almost entirely defined by the individual. a series of wood blocks are stacked to create the parameters for a physical space. a helium-filled silver balloon is tied to each timber masonry unit, to be detached at the user’s whim. the nature of the exhibit therefore evolves throughout the day as people one by one redefine the space.

‘wood box pavilion by atelier vecteur‘ at the lively architecture festival, montpellier, france

the welcoming pavilion by french firm atelier vecteur is a cube comprised of a 3d interlocking grid of protruding and receding wooden slats whose resultant spaces create a layering of transparencies and suggested geometries.

see designboom’s complete coverage of this structure here.

‘smooth rock’ by mn-lab – gwenole mary, arnaud negre, nîmes

this smooth white free-flowing form sits as a contrast to its context, juxtaposing the rigid controlled proportions that ruled the surrounding architecture.

‘tourne around’ by dondecabentres, barcelona

a mechanical garden of potted mirrors renders a literal version of the sunflower, angled to reflect light on the walls to fill the space with light and color.

‘première neige’ by école d’architecture de l’université laval, quebec

a light metal frame supports a canvas box with holes cut out from the horizontal plane. the user, from underneath the structure, stands through the opening to find themselves in a new environment of white cloth, with only the sky above and the other users, in a completely transformed space.

‘invitation a la lévitation’ by cyril rheims, mathieu collos, pérols, montpellier

a simple stack of wooden boxes supports a chair, typical of the hosting hotel’s, which appears to be floating when viewed from the entrance. anamorphic photographs of the scenery behind the physical obstruction of the structure are printed on the faces of the volumes, creating the illusion of invisibility, and suggest the user to contemplate on the existing architecture.

‘topographie de la surprise’ by urbanB’s, lausanne/milan/montréal

the ‘surprise’ for french team urbanB is defined by asking the question: ‘what are the contour lines, the surface, the levels, the texture, the rhythm, the codes, the anchor points, all features that build that territory called surprise?’

their answer lies in a matrix of living particles floating in the air waiting to be perceived by the user, which translated into a suspended grid of lavender plants creating a fluid contour in the air that can be discovered by almost all the senses.

‘foret urbaine’ by aa64, new york

this mobile sculptural element of sheet metal is held by a free-standing structure of tubes and cables in a perfect balance of tension and compression. the reflective surface warps its representation of reality while providing a constant projection of dynamic shadows and rays of light on its site.

‘le renversement du ciel’ by le bureau des affaires scéniques, paris

a montage of skyward looking facades are printed on a translucent screen stretched out over the courtyard, blocking the same sky that illuminates it, creating a paradox of space in a never-ending sensation of depth.

‘reframe’ by adam scales, pierre berthelomeau, paul van den berg, rotterdam

a series of plastic skins in a seemingly simple cube reveal a more complex set of angled frames that constantly change the user’s relationship to their environment and each other; at first participating as the observer, they will unexpectedly become the observed as they make their way around the project.

‘cite surprise, cite surprenante’ by tri-oh! ateliers, madrid/ paris

the hanging boxes provide users with specific glances of the surrounding environment in a metaphorical representation of societal criticisms of urban architecture.

location of each exhibit around montpellier