A simple twist turns
a flat ring into a triumphant wave on the Beach of Miami. This non-Euclidian
form acts as a strong visual attractor, and its different zones offer the
idealy shaped places for all the functions of the curated program.
In our arena the
guests will be placed in the center, while the performances, projections,
discussions will happen on the wave all around them. Food and drinks will be
served underneath the wave. Comfortable chairs, stools, benches and the curvy
structure itself invite to sit down with friends or watch people and the ocean.
Throughout the evening this contemporary amphitheater will turn into a dance
party with DJs and occasional live acts. If rain approaches the coast, the
party can continue in the covered area where the wave curls up to a tube.
The Endless Wave will
be lit from below making the food and drink “hall” brighter then the area under
the open sky. Since there is no natural moonlight in the five nights of the
fair we propose to let a movie balloon float above the southern edge of the site.
A classic disco ball will be suspended from the lip of the wave. Colored lights
can be buried under a layer of crushed glass sand, to create a beach version of
the pulsating Saturday Night Fever dance floor.
The continuum of our
design is not only formal, it is also part of the physical concept. All the
proposed building materials are made out of recycled post-consumer waste or are
harvested in sustainable forests. In addition, for social sustainability we
suggest donating all the wood to Haiti and the smooth Skatelite surface to the
Tony Hawk Foundation for skate parks in low-income communities. Because of the
twist in the overall form, the flat boards are set under tension, which
increases the stability; this is exactly like a piece of paper, getting stronger
when it’s curved.
The Endless Wave is
also a “pavilion”, which comes from the French word “papillon”. It floats in
like a butterfly, touches down for five days and nights with its image fully
exposed, before fluttering away again without leaving a trace, just memories.
It would be great to
develop the Endless Wave further and to get a chance to build the festive
center for Art Basel Miami Beach 2010.