Koolhaas Serpentine Balloon

Rem Koolhaas and Cecil Balmond’s design of the Serpentine’s out-house consists of an ovoid helium-and-air-filled balloon roof which hovers — with the aid of cables and winches — above a circular structure about 69 feet in diameter, with 16.4-foot-high double walls of translucent polycarbonate, the New York Times reports:

In good weather, the balloon can rise up to nearly 17 feet above its base to let the outdoors in; on a cool or rainy day, it sits directly on the structure to shelter its interior from the elements. Inside the pavilion, the plastic walls create liquid glimpses of the sylvan setting and of the 1930 brick gallery building, a former teahouse.

NY Times