Bombolla animac

View of the main square of Lleida, with the pavillion insuflated in the middle of the civic activity.

Project details

• Project Name: Bombolla animac
• Location of Site: Lleida, Catalonia
• Design Team: Jordi Fornells Castello (leader), Leonardo Paiella
• Project Type: Ephemeral pavilion
• Client: Public (Ajuntament de Lleida)
• Contractor/s: Tecnodimension
• Built-up Area: 150 sqm
• Cost of Construction: 16.000 euro
• Date of completion: March 2007

The 'mouth' of the balloon has to be opened everytime one enters in the pavilion, to avoid deflation. It brings a ceremony and preparation, it provides the act of entering of a certain importance and also a 'divertimento'.

Words from the architect

The requirement was that the balloon had to identify Lleida's International Animated Film Festival - Animac. Placed on public space, this element had to represent, from the outside, the festival. Its interior had to be the info point during daytime and guest/producer's restaurant on evenings. It had to be possible to install in any space, also interiors. And it had to be possible to re-use every year for the festival.

The balloon is translucent, and depends on the light, almost transparent.

The shape had to be adaptative to the space. Only an insuflated balloon could accomplish that. It could be packed during the rest of the year occupying a very small volume. The shape had to be simple to be understood at a glance, also because of the complexity of the main square of Lleida. And the act of entering had to be dramatic.

A perimetral bench, made out of sandbags heavy enough to fasten the balloon to the floor sets the base. A layer of textile waste from a neighbour factory is added to make the bench comfortable. Once the festival is over, sand is for sale and textiles go back to the factory.

The chosen material for the inflatable balloon is PVC together with a resistant synthetic fibre.

The result consists on a semi-transparent surface where images are projected, which makes interior/ exterior communication possible. A perimetral bench, made out of sandbags heavy enough to fasten the balloon to the floor sets the base. A layer of textile waste from a neighbour factory is added to make the bench comfortable. Once the festival is over, sand is for sale and textiles go back to the factory.

At night, the balloon becomes a lighthouse in a dark square. And a welcoming ambient inside.

There is only one main space, that confuses itself with the exterior from inside because of the semi-transparency of the balloon limits.

Transparences.

Process of building (insufflating the balloon).

Credits

• Text: Jordi Fornells Castello
• Photographs: Carlos Cazurro (www.cazurro.com)