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. It’s both a temporary event and a potential permanent resident: a soft landmark in the city’s landscape.
Like a flock of flamingos wading in shallow water, a field of thin steel columns stands lightly across the grass. Some are paired, some are staggered, creating a sense of rhythm and flow. Painted in soft, bright colors, they form a loose grid that’s playful, navigable, and ever-changing depending on your point of view.
PROGRAM: Butterfly Habitat
CONTEXT: Miami Beach, Florida, USA
SITE: Flamingo Park
TEAM: Bryan Maddock, Grace Infante
ORGANIZER: The City of Miami Beach
The Butterfly Theater weaves together ecology, architecture, and public life. It doesn’t separate people from nature—it invites them to share space. The structure adapts to the park’s patterns instead of imposing new ones. It becomes an experiment in cohabitation—an urban gesture that holds light, life, and learning in one open frame.
