Villecien Tent

The Tent is part of an ongoing exploration into the architectural potential of provisional and often disregarded structures and constructions. A tent could be described as utilitarian, as a means to an end, or as temporary, and therefore lacking the purpose or longevity to be regarded as disciplinarily significant. The opportunity of this project, then, is that of the customized banal, where the alteration or amelioration of an otherwise rigid, pre-determined, standard system occurs through surface manipulation, material, fixtures, dividers, and color. Located in Burgundy on the grounds of a 17th century château, the Tent addresses the need for a large, flexible space to host a range of events for the Villecien community throughout the year. Whereas the standardized event tent is often deployed for a short, directed period of time, this project is conceived as a permanent structure. Also, unlike the ballrooms and salons of the existing château, where use becomes dictated by the patrician rituals of its original occupants, the Tent attempts to fracture the aristocratic equivalency between space and function, allowing for an altogether different kind of communal activity. The open, unprogrammed space plays host to dance performances, movie screenings, art installations, and raves. PVC walls present in standard tents, which seek to conceal structure and block outward view, are replaced with an industrial sliding door system and polycarbonate panels in order to open the space to the surrounding landscape. At the risk of the banal, this project is an opportunity to reconsider the “off-the-shelf” event tent as an architectural typology worthy of study.