This Architecture Firm Specializes in Inflatable Structures

With so many elaborate construction projects in the works, it's refreshing to see an architecture firm that's centered around simplicity. As Fast Co. Design reports, the Berlin-based team behind Plastique Fantastique specializes in larger-than-life inflatable structures that act as temporary art installations.

The firm was founded in 1999 by a group of graduates from the Technical University Berlin. The founders (including architects, a set designer, a sound artist, and a sculptor) gravitated toward cheap, lightweight plastic as their preferred medium. Using a fan, they were able to inflate their creations quickly and easily whether they were working outdoors or indoors. 

The team's temporary balloon pieces have since been displayed in cities such as London, Valencia, and Rome. In addition to being aesthetically pleasing, some of the architecture also acts as social commentary. Last year, the firm installed a giant, raft-like structure on the grounds of a Berlin airport which had been repurposed to house thousands of Syrian refugees. Visitors were free to wander inside the raft's inflated tubes while passages from Homer's Odyssey were broadcast inside.

That installation and more from the avant-garde firm are featured in a new mini-documentary from the Portuguese open source TV channel Canal180. You can learn the team's full story in the eight-minute video above. 

[h/t Fast Co. Design]

Images courtesy of Plastique Fantastique.