aerial view of the balloon expansion at the hirshhorn museum
image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro
model of the hirshhorn museum with diller scofidio + renfro’s ‘balloon’ expansion
image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

diller scofidio + renfro is responsible for the design proposal of a 145 foot tall inflatable
meeting hall which richard kohsalek, the director of the hirshhorn museum and sculpture garden,
plans to erect at the cultural institution. the large translucent fabric ‘bubble’ will swell out of the top
of the museum’s internal court yard, creating an air of lightness, making the building seem as if
it were ready to float upwards into the sky.

the balloon-like form will be stabilized by a gigantic tube of water, encircling the interior structure.
a series of large steel cables tethered to the inner tube on one end and the roof-level truss at the other end,
will provide structural support to hold it in place. these cables will wrap around several times
pushing the structure through the core of the museum.

the structure would be installed twice a year, in may and october and would cost about 5 million USD,
which is a relatively small amount for a museum expansion. the design is extremely flexible -
it can be blown up in a short time, and the interior can be easily reconfigured with each installation,
allowing the museum to respond to cultural issues of the moment in a timely manner.
the design proposal still needs to be refined, but from the exterior, visitors will be able to enter
the balloon via a short, tube-shaped corridor located between the museum’s lounge and central courtyard.
the translucent blue skin of the lounge will progressively become more transparent at its base
so that visitors are able to peer into the mall. the inner tube anchoring the lounge will also serve as a
bench for resting and socializing.

in contrast to the whimsical bulb, the main hall will be a more formal space, housing 1 000 guests
in a semi-circular pattern around a temporary stage. this will be built over the courtyard’s off-center
fountain. here, transparent areas in the fabric will give visitors views of patrons who are
visiting the galleries above. as the courtyard is a four-storey tall void, diller scofidio + renfro is
considering an addition of one or two levels of balcony space to the hall to take advantage of this
open area.

model – alternate view
image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

the inner tube anchoring the lounge will serve as a bench
image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

model and diagram of the structure
image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro

rendering of the main hall which will house a temporary stage
image courtesy of diller scofidio + renfro