Nuage Promenade

Nuage is a sinuous, cloud-like canopy that provides shade and seating along the Paseo Ponti, a long pedestrian corridor in the Miami Design District. Tinted green and blue glass windows scatter a dappled shadow pattern across the Paseo. The structure is closely coordinated with landscape features, and planted tress appear to pass through the structure.

The heterogeneous cloud forms are an extension of a nesting module developed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec. While the module previously had been self-supporting, serving as bookcase or flower vase, here the module is elevated and arrayed on slender columns. 3-ply 3mm stainless steel top and bottom plates support this spanning, and a vertical wrapper outlines the module shape and connects with internal stiffeners and concealed column connections. When stacked and linked with sleeve connections, the modules disappear into a larger mass and create diverse forms and patterns. The modules were prefabricated and mechanically fastened in the field.