MIA presents an experience, rather than a spectacle. Designed for the holidays, in the center of its triangular pavilion lies a lush garden – an inviting space to relax, daydream, and indulge the holiday spirit through gathering. Mimicking the triangular shape and orientation of the neighboring Flatiron Building, MIA’s thin perimeter loggia is lined with black steel fins that align to key vantage points in the surrounding context, allowing open views into the central garden and inviting passersby inside.
Even from a distance, the exterior offers clear views inside, while a courtyard space is lined with one-way mirrors to filter out the fast-moving traffic and the hustle of holiday shoppers. Aside from inward, the only other vantage point is upward, with fragmented and multiplied views toward the iconic skyline of the Flatiron District. At night, the courtyard is illuminated, creating an enticing internal glow that emanates outward through the walls of the pavilion and upward from the center.
Like a hearth, the social space grants respite from users’ anonymous daily routines in the busy city, for them to experience an unusual, special, and shared moment of tranquility.
Client: Van Alen Institute
Program: Cultural, Pavilion
Status: Complete
Size: 900 SF
Location: New York, NY
Team:
Architect: KM,A (Kyle May, Hansong Cho, Lana Licciardi, Meng Ma, Juan Jose Ortiz Ramirez, Brian Waite) and Dillon Wilson
Landscape Design: Lucy McFadden
Images: KMA, Luxigon