Bloom!

In collaboration with:

Haiko Cornelissen ( Intellignt )
David Farnsworth (Arup )
Jane Blevin ( janeblevin.com )


BLOOM! is a bed of organic Street Flowers which flourishes on the soil of urban activity. It captures the lively spirit of a street fest and invites the passerby into an engaging interaction between vendors, performers and exhibitions. Its iconic appearance of organic shapes, colors and materials make the vertical bells stand out amidst the monotonous streetscape. Whether a self standing object or a series of modular configurations, the twisted, triangular shape of the Street Flowers remains dynamic and attracts the eye from afar. At nighttime, BLOOM! transforms into a string of lights that invites curiosity and draws the public towards an enticing venue for entertainment.
BLOOM! not only reinvents the typical street fair tent but also brings poetry to the Bowery streetscape.

The design is based on the untapped capital of the indigenous wood structures that once dotted Mannahatta. The efficient use of natural materials and simplicity of structure became the inspiration for blooming tents. BLOOM! uses a minimal structure with three poles tied together, creating maximal space for minimal effort. Also the cover is made out of natural canvas and dyes which is similar to the natural coverage of the indigenous Mannahatta structures. Even water is used for structural purposes, showing the conscientious use of materials in the BLOOM! tents to minimize the impact on the environment.

A fundamental component of the BLOOM! concept is the easy production, installation and modulation of the tents. The tripod structure achieves this goal with three vertical poles tied together. A canvas fabric is draped over the structure like a sleeve and held in tension by a triangle at the bottom filled with water.
Structural analysis showed that water in the bottom functions as a weight that holds the fabric in tension and provides additional stability. Form-finding software provided the optimal shape for the fabric in tension.

Thanks to its triangular shape in plan, BLOOM! tents are modular and easy to manipulate into various bouquet types, with options varying from straight lines to round configurations for larger events.

Location: Bowery, New York City

Status: Competition, Streeft fest 2013

Client: IDEAS City

Design Principal: Johan van Lierop, Haiko Cornelissen