The HydraPier built initially as the central exhibition pavilion for the Floriade International Exposition remains a prominent landmark for the city of Haarlemmemeer.  Asymptote’s design for the HydraPier was inspired by the contradictory nature of its site, a serene and pastoral landscape located in close proximity to Schipol, one of the world’s largest and busiest airports. The Pavilion architecture incorporates material and formal aspects derived from the design of aircraft fuselage and from the rich history of Dutch hydro-engineering. Water is merged with the architecture throughout the Pavilion, activating various surfaces and creating unexpected experiences. The building is comprised of two expansive wing-like roof structures that are supported in part by two glass walls at the water’s edge. Here water flows down the inclined roof planes and cascades onto the vertical glass surfaces. The passageway between these two dramatic ‘water walls’ marks the entrance to the HydraPier as well as the visitor’s transition from land onto water. Elsewhere, water flowing across glass apertures in the roof creates ephemeral light effects and moving shadows that seemingly liquefy the deck of the structure. From the vantage point of the shore, the shimmering pavilion with its two converging roof planes forms a pristine tectonic silhouette set against the natural backdrop of the surrounding landscape. The architecture of the HydraPier melds technological imagery with nature to achieve a conceptual merging of the physical and the ephemeral.