Apr 30, 2009 01:00 PM
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One solitary Transformer has taken over one of Seoul's oldest buildings. This bizarre-looking building can become a movie theater, a fashion exhibition, a live performance space, and maybe a killer robot.
Prada's shape-shifting "Transformer" can take on different configurations and uses, depending on which side it's placed on. Designed by Rem Koolhaas' legendary Office for Metropolitan Architecture, the 160-ton structure can be lifted and rotated in just one hour to create a different shape, including a totally different inner space. It's wrapped in a highly elastic polyvinyl chloride membrane, which was sprayed on as a liquid.
Stationed next to the 16th century Gyeonghui Palace, the building is designed to be easily rotated in a tight space, without damaging any nearby buildings. Each side has three openings, which connect to a series of air-conditioning vents.
For now, the building — which just opened last week — is sort of cone shaped, for an exhibition of skirts. On May 24, the structure gets turned around and becomes a rectangle, to allow movie exhibitions. And then the structure will be turned again, to become cross-shaped, for an art exhibition. And finally, it'll be turned into a circle for a fashion show. All images by Getty or Prada. [WWD]
Send an email to Charlie Jane Anders, the author of this post, at charliejane@io9.com.
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