For the Portuguese National Pavilion, Balmond had the idea to create a dramatic entrance canopy that appeared to defy its mass and take flight. With two cuts positioned in the form, the concrete used for the canopy is denied connectivity to the supports, with cables running through the drape to deliver the load to the abutments. The effect of sun light seeping in gives the illusion of the drape floating. The canopy is more than structure and shade; its flight gives ceremony and celebration. The juxtaposition of gravity and solidity with that of ethereality causes disbelief, the shock of concrete flying the distance.