Chilean architect Smiljan Radi? has topped a car park in Tobacco Dock with an inflated bulbous dome for Alexander McQueen's Spring Summer 2022 show space.
The structure was designed by architect Radi?, a long-time collaborator of the fashion brand, and announced Alexander McQueen's return to physical shows following the coronavirus pandemic. It was also the brand's first London show after a 20-year hiatus.
Smiljan Radi? designed a cloud-like bubble structure that provided panoramic views across London
McQueen's Spring Summer 2022 show took place in a cloud-like inflated membrane structure on Tuesday 12 October 2021 on the rooftop of a 10-storey car park in East London's Tobacco Docklands.
The show, titled London Skies, was informed by the cloud-filled skies which Alexander McQueen creative director Sarah Burton and the McQueen team see from its studio. The structure has a bulbous form that is constrained by steel tensile cables
Creative consultancy ES Global and creative agency Gainsbury&Whiting worked closely with Radi? to oversee the conception and fabrication of the show space.
ES Global built a domed transparent structure that was inflated and constrained by steel cables to appear as though swelling from between its cable net.
Due to the nature of the car park's sloped surfaces, the space was built on top of a large platform supported by a proprietary scaffolding system, which was left purposely uncovered at its sides to reveal the bones of its construction.
The A...