A Brief History of Inflatable Architecture

New York just wrapped a series of parties, held around the city inside the inflatable dome you see above. But inflatable architecture has been around for at least 40 years. Archidose just did a brilliant round-up of the highpoints. Here’s a brief summary.

The idea began, naturally, in the 1960s. The one up top is a design by the visionary, almost forgotten American firm Jersey Devil; at the bottom is a 1970 project by Ant Farm–whom you probably know from their outdoor installation Cadillac Ranch, which featured ten cars buried halfway into the ground:

More recently, the artist Michael Rakowitz created ParaSITE, in 1988. Intended as a wry joke about the waste products which we never think about, it used the HVAC exhaust from buildings to inflate the structure:

Alexis Rochas, an architecture professor at SCI-Arc, created this installation in 2006. Computers were used to cut more precise shapes; Rochas had the idea that in the future, we’d pack our homes into a suitcase:

In 2006, Rem Koolhaas and engineer Cecil Balmond created what I personally think is the best pavilion ever seen on the grounds of the Serpentine Gallery in London (the museum invites an architect to erect a new temporary structure every summer):

Norwegian firm mmw architects created this installation in 2005, to connect four separate buildings:

Also in 2005, Kengo Kuma created this Tea House on the grounds of museum in Frankfurt: 

For more info, check out Archidose’s hard working summary.

Related: Raumlabor’s Portable, Inflatable Dance Party Comes to New York

[Topmost image by laverrue]