studio ossidiana’s poetic art pavilion floats on water in almere, the netherlands

Three Floating Rooms by Studio Ossidiana

In the Dutch city of Almere, a pastel pink art pavilion designed by Studio Ossidiana has appeared on Weerwater Lake. Named ‘Three Floating Rooms / Art Pavilion M.’, the project was awarded first prize in 2020 following an invited competition to design a new museum of Land Art and Multimedia. The winning pavilion opened to the public in April 2022 as part of the international horticultural exhibition Floriade Expo 2022.

images by Riccardo De Vecchi

three circles on the water

The pavilion is conceived as a sequence of three tangent circles: the Port, the Stage, and the Observatory. Made from a pink-colored terrazzo developed by the studio, the Port is the largest ring and it’s a place to exhibit artwork, enjoy musical performances, or just watch the birds and plants on the lake. This structure also serves as a real port. Barges can dock on the outer perimeter and visitors can arrive by boat.

Located within the Port is the Stage, an outdoor terrace and platform for performances, concerts, and outdoor exhibitions.

And finally, the Observatory is the cylindrical volume that houses indoor exhibition spaces. Built on a terrazzo platform, the Observatory features a lightweight polycarbonate façade and pale blueish gray curtain that envelops the interior. When put together, these materials create a dreamy atmosphere thanks to the soft natural light that filters through. The cylindrical volume is punctured by four diamond-shaped windows, which are aligned with the sunrise and sunset of both the summer and winter solstices.

the pavilion roof is covered in shells to filter rainwater

‘surf and turf’ terrazzo

The terrazzo used throughout the project has been specially developed by Studio Ossidiana to reference the region of Flevoland. Called ‘Surf and turf’, it was made by mixing horticultural materials, locally found shells, along with expanded clay and charcoal.

See designboom’s previous coverage of the pavilion here.

inside the Observatory