FLMGO
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Butterfly Theater
Canopy Section

Butterfly Theater

Section diagram of the construction of the butterfly canopy component for the Butterfly TheaterSection diagram of the construction of the butterfly canopy component for the Butterfly TheaterSection diagram of the construction of the butterfly canopy component for the Butterfly TheaterSection diagram of the construction of the butterfly canopy component for the Butterfly Theater
Section diagram of the construction of the butterfly canopy component for the Butterfly Theater

The Butterfly Theater’s construction system is simple and expressive: a concrete footer anchors paired “flamingo-leg” steel columns. These rise to support a circular steel pipe ring wrapped in translucent HDPE fabric. Atop each structure, a shallow tray holds honey water and colored pebbles, forming a habitat for butterflies. This layered assembly unites structure, ecology, and form in one elegant system.

Section diagram of the construction of the butterfly canopy component for the Butterfly Theater

Sections

Landscape

Ecology

Installations

RELATED RESEARCH IMAGES

RELATED PROJECT IMAGES

Concept image of a flock of flamingos showing the density of the flamingo legs like architectural columnsConcept image of a flock of flamingos showing the density of the flamingo legs like architectural columnsConcept image of a flock of flamingos showing the density of the flamingo legs like architectural columnsConcept image of a flock of flamingos showing the density of the flamingo legs like architectural columns
Mood diagram of a lush tropical habitat with natural butterfliesMood diagram of a lush tropical habitat with natural butterfliesMood diagram of a lush tropical habitat with natural butterfliesMood diagram of a lush tropical habitat with natural butterflies
Overall aerial view of the Butterfly Theater in Miami Beach’s Flamingo ParkOverall aerial view of the Butterfly Theater in Miami Beach’s Flamingo ParkOverall aerial view of the Butterfly Theater in Miami Beach’s Flamingo ParkOverall aerial view of the Butterfly Theater in Miami Beach’s Flamingo Park
Underside forest made of the columns of the Flamingo Park Butterfly TheaterUnderside forest made of the columns of the Flamingo Park Butterfly TheaterUnderside forest made of the columns of the Flamingo Park Butterfly TheaterUnderside forest made of the columns of the Flamingo Park Butterfly Theater
Concept diagram combining butterfly habitats, flamingos and architectural componentsConcept diagram combining butterfly habitats, flamingos and architectural componentsConcept diagram combining butterfly habitats, flamingos and architectural componentsConcept diagram combining butterfly habitats, flamingos and architectural components
Concept image combining butterflies and flamingos as a dense natural ecosystemConcept image combining butterflies and flamingos as a dense natural ecosystemConcept image combining butterflies and flamingos as a dense natural ecosystemConcept image combining butterflies and flamingos as a dense natural ecosystem
Interior perspective of visitors observing the butterfly habitats within the Butterfly Theater in Flamingo ParkInterior perspective of visitors observing the butterfly habitats within the Butterfly Theater in Flamingo ParkInterior perspective of visitors observing the butterfly habitats within the Butterfly Theater in Flamingo ParkInterior perspective of visitors observing the butterfly habitats within the Butterfly Theater in Flamingo Park
Aerial view showing the terraced stacking butterfly habitats in the Butterfly TheaterAerial view showing the terraced stacking butterfly habitats in the Butterfly TheaterAerial view showing the terraced stacking butterfly habitats in the Butterfly TheaterAerial view showing the terraced stacking butterfly habitats in the Butterfly Theater
Site plan of the Butterfly Theater in Flamingo Park on Miami Beach showing the canopy and the columnsSite plan of the Butterfly Theater in Flamingo Park on Miami Beach showing the canopy and the columnsSite plan of the Butterfly Theater in Flamingo Park on Miami Beach showing the canopy and the columnsSite plan of the Butterfly Theater in Flamingo Park on Miami Beach showing the canopy and the columns
Exterior perspective of the Flamingo Park Butterfly Theater pavilionExterior perspective of the Flamingo Park Butterfly Theater pavilionExterior perspective of the Flamingo Park Butterfly Theater pavilionExterior perspective of the Flamingo Park Butterfly Theater pavilion

OTHER PROJECTS

The GBN project sites itself as this link connecting the busiest night life district and revitalized neighborhood park in the north, the largest beach front in the city to the south, and establishes the cities first large public plaza and recreation fields adjacent to the new building.
Space has become redundant again. Popular culture is uninterested in the goings-on in space. Once achieved, mans absurd relation with space becomes yesterdays news. To become relevant to the public, CASIS must be an amenity and not a mission. Instead of promoting an HQ, make it a public interface.
The CART live/work housing prototype adds a vertical profile to downtown while converting an underutilized public path into an urban gesture by introducing of a specialized food cart zone in New Haven. The CART residents would rent and appropriate the moving space as a means of expanding their zone.
The challenge of creating a pair of studio apartments that can fill a lifted 16'x16' void necessitates the creation of a quick, mobile, and opportunistic building system that can react to the found conditions of the site. Access to the site is limited and the ground must be free.
In Tempe there are two pedestrian axes: Mill Avenue and Palm Walk. Mill Avenue is successful and Palm Walk is not. Is there a way to make the palm trees useful to the students? The PEP structure is powered by buried hydraulic pressure systems giving vertical movement to the layer/palm interface.
Planes, frames, and volumes are fundamentals to all assembly logics. With the proliferation of additive production methods, the possibility of volumetric prefabricated components has the potential to radically alter the way that we conceive of construction and the permanence of building parts.
QTCT is tasked to blend these two identities onto one site—a give and take relationship between beach ambitions and urban necessities. QTCT is a sampling of two worlds: on one hand it is the embodiment of the language of the beach and on the other it is a detailed and exacting built urban space.
The Butterfly Theater is a living pavilion—part sculpture, part habitat, part playground. It takes inspiration from the elegance of flamingos and the presence of butterflies in Miami Beach, transforming the park’s open center into a place of movement, color, and quiet spectacle.

OTHER RESEARCH