Name: A new museum wing ... in a giant bubble
Uploaded: 2012-04-30T15:32:05Z
Duration: 11 min 49 s
Description: How do you make a great public space inside a not-so-great building? Liz Diller shares the story of imagining a welcoming, lighthearted -- even, dare we say it, sexy -- addition to the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC. (From The Design Studio session at TED2012, guest-curated by Chee Pearlman and David Rockwell.)

How do you make a great public space inside a not-so-great building? Liz Diller shares the story of imagining a welcoming, lighthearted -- even, dare we say it, sexy -- addition to the Hirshhorn Museum in Washington, DC. (From The Design Studio session at TED2012, guest-curated by Chee Pearlman and David Rockwell.)

A new museum wing ... in a giant bubble

Public spaces become meaningful when boundaries between architecture, urbanism, and culture dissolve. On the National Mall, a translucent, inflatable 'bubble' turns a 230-foot concrete museum core into a vibrant civic forum. This ephemeral structure, inflated twice yearly, embodies the values of democracy by making space for art, discourse, and participation. Its presence signals a shift from passive institutions to active engagement at the symbolic heart of American public life.