Vaporization and nothingness are likely to be the two words that emerge in your mind when you look at The Blur Building. The architectsElizabeth Diller and Ricardo Scofidio built it specifically for the 2002 Swiss Expo, which took place in Yverdon-Les-Bains, Switzerland.
The temporary media pavilion became an artwork that attracted tons of visitors. Furthermore, its impact on the creative scene is quite remarkable.
You could refer to it as a media pavilion that had undergone massive transformation since 2002 when it was launched. In the ensuing years, the pavilion has become one of the attractions around Lake Neuchatel.
With its perfect mix of filtered lake water and fog nozzles, The Blur Building captures imagination vividly. Furthermore, it also has an in-built weather station. Through the station, it controls fog output by responding to the ever-changing climatic conditions that include:
• Wind direction
• Temperature
• Humidity
• Wind speed
Over the years, visitors have shown a massive interest in making their way to The Blur Building to enjoy its remarkable attractions. Because of this, its designers equipped the building with a ramped bridge to make accessibility much more manageable.
The ramped bridge is 400ft (120m) in length. It takes visitors right into the fog’s center. Upon reaching there, visitors then step onto its large open-air podium. Here, visitors can’t move freely as that aspect of the tour is heavily regulated. As you enjoy this immersive leg of the trip, the pulsing water nozzles would relax your mind.
The Blur Building gets its water from Lake Neuchatel. Through a combination of various systems and mechanisms, the water undergoes filtration before shooting up to the sky to release an impressive cloud of fog.
The presence of the smart weather system is proof that the architectural masterpiece is full of technological advances. Once you’re inside The Blur Building, you will not notice any acoustic and visual references. More impressively, all this happens in a low definition surrounding.
Diller Scofidio + Renfro – Blur Building, 3d renderDiller Scofidio + Renfro – Blur Building, 3d render
Former location
Location of Diller Scofidio + Renfro’s Blur Building, Exposition Pavilion, Swiss Expo, Yverdon-Les-Bains, 2002
The Blur Building is closed.
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Conclusion
Undoubtedly, The Blur Building is an architectural masterpiece. It doesn’t offer you a perfect view of the picturesque surroundings of Lake Neuchatel. What it does, though, is to give you blurred images courtesy of the massive cloud of fog that surrounds it.
In this regard, you would be fortunate to experience the magic of one of Switzerland’s most impressive architectural creations. The sensation, charm, and relaxation you encounter when inside or near The Blur Building make it all worthwhile.
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