SPANNING FOLDS

Bridging the Gap Between Science, Academia, and the Public

This pier museum and water research center, located is designed in response to increasing sea levels and the salinization of inland freshwater throughout southern Florida. The pier seeks to research the rising tides and alternative access to fresh water through research, exhibition, and education. Located on the southernmost point of South Beach, Miami, the space acts as a bridge between the world of marine science and the public, presenting the latest in science and research through interactive exhibits and programs.

Inspired by the action of folding, the project organizes program and structure via a system of geometric folding planes. The building’s form is comprised of a repeated unit that responds to the structural needs of spanning concrete along with the spatial desires of various programmatic elements.

On the accessible roofscape, the building catches rainwater in glass prisms, creating dynamic lighting conditions throughout the interior and surrounding occupants with rainwater from above and seawater from below. During rainstorms and other weather events, the overflow of this captured rainwater creates a spectacle, allowing the rain to cascade off the roof and seawall into the adjacent park vegetation and ocean.