Pop-up architecture makes the most of tiny spaces and intimate experiences. As temporary structures, pop-ups are nothing new, dating back at least to Roman times as temporary stages for festivals called ludi. Pushing the boundaries of architecture, they feature a light-touch for maximum impact, each built to make a statement. Today, they are often designed around the full life-cycle of a project to minimize environmental impact.
From structures for community gatherings to emergency shelters, pop-ups encompass a range of programs. As Marni Epstein-Mervis notes, "we can visit pop-up amusement parks, shop at pop-up stores, eat at pop-up restaurants, and stay at pop-up hotels." While they may go by different names, from temporary pavilions to flash retail, pop-ups share common qualities of scale and impermanence. Exploring the relationship between materials, structure and spatial experience, the following projects look at small-scale architecture through the lens of pop-up design.
Pop-Up for Herschel Supply / Linehouse
Linehouse was commissioned by Canadian lifestyle brand Herschel Supply to develop a popup structure for YO’HOOD, a retail trade event of all things street wear. Drawing from Herschel’s roots in Vancouver, Canada, an urban center surrounded by nature, Linehouse took the notion of the urban forest and the kind of dwelling one might find there.
Soft Civic Installation / Bryony Roberts Studio
Soft Civic was designed to respond to both the architectural geometry of the historic Columbus City Hall building and its symbolic role as the center of civic leadership in the community. Through the insertion of the custom-fabricated structures with colorful woven surfaces, the project activates the public space surrounding the building’s main entrance as a new destination.
Local / MRD Arquitectos
Located in Plaza Manuel Tolsá, this project was made to be an interactive, delimited space. It included twelve doors, each with a different color that allows the user to choose their access point. The installation is made with plywood, while the interior was lined with recycled glass, generating an infinite reflection.
Nomadic Bookstore in Milan / AA Museum Lab & Lars Müller Publishers
Conceived as an itinerant urban structure, the hovering LED-lit roof of this pavilion projects into the city ever changing titles of Lars Müller’s books and shelters the publications within a soft interior-scape. Inside the pavilion, a uniform exhibition book display provides an acoustically subdued environment within hustle of the urban Milanese context.
Mesh Temporary Bar / fala
Using a 3x3x5m metal base, an exterior skin for this temporary bar was defined by an overlay of metal meshes and plastic screens. From far, only the light is visible; while approaching the object, the thin silhouette and its texture reveal their rationality. Light and color were made to flow freely through the translucent materials.
Roy Lichtenstein Temporary Museum / Diogo Aguiar Studio + João Jesus Arquitectos
As part of an initiative that seeks to bring art closer to people, Diogo Aguiar Studio and João Jesus Arquitectos came up with a Temporary Museum to receive works by American artist Roy Lichtenstein (1923-1997) within a commercial space in Lisbon. The architects sought to explore a greater relationship between container and content.
Sarbalé Ke / Kéré Architecture
Sarbalé Ke, “the House of Celebration” in Moore, a language spoken in parts of Burkina Faso, is a vibrant installation created for the art program of the 2019 Coachella Music and Arts Festival. Inspired by the Burkinabè baobab tree, Sarbalé Ke features 12 baobab towers, reflecting on the material, texture and spatial layout of the architecture in Gando, Burkina Faso.
This article is part of the ArchDaily Topic: Tiny. Every month we explore a topic in-depth through articles, interviews, news, and projects. Learn more about our monthly topics here. As always, at ArchDaily we welcome the contributions of our readers; if you want to submit an article or project, contact us.
