Page 64 - Designing Ways 256

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ART

Aerial overview of the pavilion of M.
Photo credit: Riccardo de Vecchi for M.

A Floating Pavilion as Testing Grounds for Museum-to-be M. in

Dutch New Town Almere

Almere, Netherlands

he Dutch city of Almere was built named M., claiming the first letter of creative think tank in the early 1970s. An
on reclaimed land where once its possible future destiny. In April, M.’s expert selection committee unanimously
Twas the Zuiderzee: a shallow sea home base - a beautiful floating pavilion chose Studio Ossidiana's conceptual but
bay in the Netherlands. The first house in on the grounds of Floriade Expo 2022 – accessible design. Alessandra Covini
this planned New Town was completed opened its doors. In the ingenious design and Giovanni Belloti, the young duo
in 1976. Since then, the city has grown by young duo Studio Ossidiana, there are behind Studio Ossidiana, drew up a plan
to a population of nearly 220 000, which numerous links to the history of Almere, that appeals to all the senses and refers
means Almere is well on its way to being a city rising from a former sea. to Almere’s tradition of pioneering and
the fifth-largest city in the country. experimenting. The resulting pavilion is
However, Almere lacks a museum of Pioneering a work of art, fitting in seamlessly with
note, befitting a city of such stature. Local, In early 2020, the municipality of the province's extensive array of land art,
provincial, and national government Almere and the province of Flevoland which will become part of M's collection.
administrators agreed that a museum invited five up-and-coming architects
should be on top of the priority list to raise working at the intersection of architecture Water and soil
the city's appeal. Instead of establishing and visual arts to submit a design for the art Studio Ossidiana was inspired by
one immediately, it was decided to first pavilion. They intentionally approached the sea that the province of Flevoland
experiment with a temporary art pavilion young architects that had not seen any of replaced and by the Weerwater Lake,
for immersive art with plenty of room their designs being constructed. Almere is where the pavilion would float. Their
to develop and test new ideas over the built on the ideas of a group of recently design features three circles: The Port,
coming years. The museum-to-be was graduated urban planners who formed a The Stage, and The Observatory. The

64 Issue 256 • dw