Almere, The Netherlands
“We have become fascinated by Flevoland and the Province’s history,” says Alessandra Covini, co-founder of Studio Ossidiana.
“The land is humanmade, in fact, it’s an enormous garden where land art is used to collect thoughts about the area. Circular forms kept emerging in our research. The strong relationship between water and circles subsequently informed our design, which features three circles on the water.”
Alessandra Covini and Giovanni Bellotti of Studio Ossidiana along with Klaas Van Der Molen of Goldsmith have developed Art Pavilion M—a new temporary floating art pavilion formed by three tangential circles that will later become a land art and multimedia museum in Almere.
Located at the heart of the world horticultural exhibition Floriade Expo 2022 and commissioned by the City of Almere through an invited competition, Art Pavilion M is the precursor to the new museum land art and multimedia to be built in Almere within the coming decennium.
The architects wrapped the pavilion in a polycarbonate cylindrical façade in a simple layout that combines three tangential rings in order to be adapted according to the needs of the program.
Taking cues from the Weerwater Lake and the sea, the design features three circles that form the Port, the Stage, and the Observatory.
The Port is a ring-shaped promenade on the water that visitors can walk on and that allows for outdoor programming. It is made of a custom-designed terrazzo using shells, mussels, clay, and charcoal, found in Flevoland’s soil.
The Stage represents an island with a terrace that will drift like a floating platform in strong winds.
The Observatory, which forms the central venue of the pavilion, consists of two exhibition spaces.
The pavilion’s lightweight polycarbonate façade filters and reflects the hues of the water and greenery while visitors’ silhouettes cast through the façade’s carefully designed openings create an artistic performance.
Project: Art Pavilion M
Architects: Studio Ossidiana and Goldsmith Company
Lead Architects: Alessandra Covini, Giovanni Bellotti, and Klaas Van Der Molen
Project Director: Denise de Boer
Technical Team: Piet Goud, BDG Architecten, Bart Ruijs, and TDS Ingenieursbureau Boorsma B.V.
Project Manager: Lian The, Rob Dirkson, and ToorendPartners
Consultants: Ahmet Topbas and Peter Mensinga
Clients: Municipality of Almere and Province of Flevoland
