Designed by Pritzker Prize winner Gordon Bunschaft in the early 1970s, the museum building is a harsh example of late modernism: its concrete cylinder is raised on supports, a circular courtyard is located in its center, and a sculpture park has been created around the building. The complex is located on the National Mall, a wide boulevard that houses the main US memorials, as well as some of the country's most important cultural institutions.
Both the appearance of the Hirshhorn Museum itself and the seriousness of its surroundings demanded, in the opinion of the museum management, additions in the spirit of the times (after all, the Hirshhorn collection is composed mostly of works by contemporary artists). But if the approval of the ultra-conservative city authorities is necessary for a new wing or at least reconstruction of an old building, then for a temporary construction this is not required. Therefore, the idea arose to create an inflatable auditorium for conferences, film screenings and concerts, which can be installed and removed in a few days (for now, it is planned to do this twice a year, in May and October).
The architects of Diller Scofidio + Renfro proposed to place a light blue "balloon" of the conference hall with 1000 seats in the inner courtyard of the building: it will partially protrude outward above the ceilings of the building. The hall itself will occupy only the upper part of the inflatable volume, which will descend to ground level, where they will arrange an entrance and place a pipe filled with water serving as a load. Steel cables twisting around the "installation" will be tied to it. The tip of the "ball" will protrude outward at the bottom, between the pillars of the building: there will be a "salon" where anyone can relax and admire the views of the Mall - this part of the inflatable structure will be almost transparent.
