Scholars and fans of Buckminster Fuller's geodesic dome project may be delighted to see a novel interpretation of the structural approach with a distinctly East Asian flair. Golden Moon is a temporary pavilion built to celebrate the 2012 Mid-Autumn Festival in Hong Kong. Designed by architects Kristof Crolla and Adam Fingrut of the Laboratory of Explorative Architecture & Design (LEAD), the massive structure is strategically-positioned on the waterfront, beckoning visitors to enjoy its fiery hues. The pavilion and its colorful nocturnal display conjure the legend of the Moon Goddess of Immortality Chang'e and her colorful reunion with her husband Houyi on the moon.
Although Golden Moon is based on a spherical frame like Fuller's domes, its permeable, fish-scale cladding and bamboo-based framing are notable departures from this language. Does this creative construction represent a socio-temporal architectural mash-up that claims new territory? If so, what other structural hybrids have yet to be explored in this fashion?
Blaine Brownell is a regularly featured columnist whose stories appear on this website each week. His views and conclusions are not necessarily those of ARCHITECT magazine nor of the American Institute of Architects.
