The extraordinary Ark Nova concert hall recently left its home in Japan for the first time. Designed by British sculptor Sir Anish Kapoor and late Pritzker Prize-winning architect Arata Isozaki, the purple structure resembles a giant donut, or a bean from some angles – or even something quite risqué, depending on how your mind works – and can accommodate up to 500 visitors.
Created in 2013 following the Fukushima earthquake as a symbol of hope, the Ark Nova had toured Japan four times before it was delivered to Switzerland for this year's Lucerne Festival, which ran from 8 August to 14 September.
It has a height of 18 m (60 ft), a width of 29 m (95 ft), and a length of 36 m (118 ft). It's made from an elastic 0.6-mm (0.024-in)-thick PVC membrane that, once inflated, is self-supporting. In a poignant touch, the seating within is made of wood sourced from ancient cedar trees, which previously grew near a Japanese temple destroyed by the earthquake.
Once transported to the site in Switzerland, it was installed on a steel plate foundation with a load-distributing ring used to secure it. Two cranes were used to lift the 1,700-kg (3,747-lb) structure, and it took around an hour to inflate it, with continuous airflow required to keep it upright.
"The material was cut and welded together in such a way that the walk-in sculpture does not require any additional conventional supporting structure when it is inflated," explains the festival's press release. "For visitors, the effect is impressive: they find themselves immersed in an organic space that conveys a sense of security and warmth due to its round, soft forms and special color."
Around 12,000 people visited the Ark Nova while it was in use and over 35 concerts were held there for 11 days. Now that the festival has come to an end, the Ark Nova has been dismantled and is headed back to Japan.
Sources: Lucerne Festival, Aerotrope
