The National Building Museum in Washington, D.C., is a celebration of all things architectural, so it might seem like an unlikely host for something as, well, silly as the exhibit that’s currently hogging up the Great Hall.
The exhibit, called The Beach, is running through the beginning of September. It allows you to harness your inner child once more for a rousing few minutes in a massive ball pit.
No, seriously. It’s a ball pit.
This is what the Great Hall looks like now that the exhibition is up and running.
This interpretation of a beach comes fully stocked with a pier, some concession stands, beach chairs, and the ocean (in the form of a few thousand white balls).
Designed by an experimental firm called Snarkitecture, The Beach sees the Great Hall filled with nearly a million plastic balls, all of which are recyclable. Visitors can jump from the pier area into the balls, where they can swim, splash, and paddle through them as they would in water.
The whole thing is an architectural take on our common conception of the beach.
To add to the feeling, the ball pit runs into a huge mirror, which creates the illusion of an infinite ocean.
And people are having all kinds of fun.
“Interactive architectural installation” sounds pretty esoteric, but as this exhibit proves, it can actually just mean “giant freaking ball pit.”
(via BoredPanda)
The Beach is open to the public through the first week of September at the National Building Museum in Washington, D.C.
More details can be found on the admissions page. You can also see more of Snarkitecture’s projects on their website, Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
