bam! studio debuts monumental weightless cube at MAXXI

bam! studio debuts monumental helium balloon at MAXXI
image courtesy of MAXXI

the third installment of the young architects program in rome’s MAXXI museum featured a monumental helium-filled structure hovering above the concrete forms of the museum’s open-air courtyard. designed by turin-based firm bam! studio, the buoyant and interactive architectural installation creates a gentle shade and cooling fountain in the greened piazza. dubbed ‘He’ after the chemical formula for helium, the structure engages the roman skyline with a dynamic night-time glow. transparent vibrant yellows layer to fracture the horizon line and create a distinct mark on the urban landscape. the installation will be the site of myriad summer-long social events. while the structure is large-scale lantern by night, the aerostatic prism strives to be a model of grandiose sustainability both in it’s daytime function as a weightless water-dripping curtain wall and long after it’s deinstallation. their bold design posits that singular, construction-free architecture can free horizontal structures and make space for people, while simultaneously creating a complex material encounter with the concrete mass of zaha hadid-designed museum.

see designboom’s previous coverage of the proposal here.

the museum emits a polychrome glow during night time social events
image courtesy of MAXXI

(left): the architectural installation both obliterates and admits the landscape
image courtesy of MAXXI
(right): the hovering structure enlivens the air space of the plaza
image courtesy of bam! studio

 ‘He’ encounters the concrete curves of zaha hadid’s MAXXI museum
image courtesy of bam! studio

(left): both shading, seating and cooling pavilion
image courtesy of bam! studio
(right): the structure frees the horizontal movement of the plaza
image courtesy of MAXXI museum

the scale is such that the work holds its own in the museum context
image courtesy of bam! studio

image courtesy of bam! studio

the architects’ exuberant display after the installation of ‘He’ 
image courtesy of MAXXI

construction views
image courtesy of MAXXI

in progress view of ‘He’
image courtesy of MAXXI

steel cables hold up the lightweight form
image courtesy of MAXXI

wood platform for seating and social space
image courtesy of MAXXI

early part of the installation
image courtesy of MAXXI

(left): bam! studio debuts monumental helium balloon at MAXXI
image courtesy of MAXXI

(right): the structure in context
image courtesy of bam!  

video of the construction process
video © MAXXI museum