by Geoffrey Montes, Architectural Digest
When launching his new venture, Revolution, late last year, developer Robbie Antonio declared that the sleek collection of precrafted structures was meant “to essentially democratize architecture.” Offering all the benefits of high-end design but on a more accessible scale, the limited-edition series comprises mini-dwellings (ranging from 540 to 2,700 square feet) and multipurpose pavilions devised by some of the world’s most in-demand architects. Antonio, who owns an eponymous New York–based development firm, debuted Revolution at Art Basel Miami Beach with two pavilion designs, one by Zaha Hadid and the other by Gluckman Tang Architects. Since then he has been steadily expanding the available options, most recently enlisting one of Brazil’s hottest design duos, brothers Fernando and Humberto Campana, who crafted a versatile pavilion that would make a unique addition to any property.
The brothers clad the minimalist structure in bamboo, a lightweight material prominent in their childhoods as well as in Brazilian culture more generally. Measuring just 194 square feet, the portable pavilion is composed of three quadrilateral sides that can be configured into a variety of shapes. Any of the sides can be used as the floor, depending on the owner’s particular needs, or the structure can be unfolded altogether to create a screen. The Campanas envisioned the structure as a tranquil place to meditate and relax, ideally set on a sun-soaked beach or in a wooded locale. Revolution’s pavilions are now available for purchase and range from $35,000 to more than $450,000, depending on style and design; more information is available at revolutionprecrafted.com.
Estudio Campana’s Bamboo Pavilion is one of the 12 multipurpose structures that Revolution commissioned from some of the world’s top architects.
With three sides clad in bamboo, the 194-square-foot pavilion was conjured as a meditative space that can be moved according to owner’s desires.
Inspired by organic forms, the Volu Dining Pavilion, designed by the late architect Zaha Hadid with Patrik Schumacher, features a webbed floor and roof conjoined by a ten-foot spine.
The tented Bettina Pavilion by Michael Maltzan was designed as a modern beach cabana that can be used as a solitary enclosure or joined with other pavilions to create a communal bazaarlike atmosphere.
Daniel Libeskind’s easy-to-transport ReCreation Pavilion offers a radical interpretation of a classic gazebo, its acute-angled silhouette clad in rustic timber.
Ben Van Berkel from the Amsterdam firm UNStudio devised the Ellipsicoon Retreat Pavilion with a curving sculptural form composed of 100 percent recyclable polyethylene.
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