The Transformer designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas, the founder of OMA, is a temporary structure that will be picked up by cranes and rotated to accommodate a variety of art, cinema, and style events for the Italian luxury goods giant, Prada.
The 20 meter high Prada Transformer is located adjacent to the 16th Century Gyeonghui Palace in the center of Seoul. The pavilion consists of four basic geometric shapes; a circle, a cross, a hexagon, a rectangle, leaning together and wrapped in a translucent membrane.
Each shape represents a potential floor plan, ideally designed for the cultural programming unfolding over the next three months: a fashion exhibition, a film festival, an art exhibition, and finally a Prada fashion show. Walls will become floors and floors will become walls as the pavilion is flipped over by three cranes after each event, to accommodate the next.
“Rather than having one average condition, we conceived a pavilion that by simply rotating it, acquires a different character and accommodates different needs, says Rem Koolhaas.
