The publication documents the development, installation, and utilization of an extraordinary, large-scale inflatable pavilion designed by the architectural firm Diller Scofidio & Renfro for the Hirshhorn's central atrium. It highlights the transformative synergy of architecture, art, and public forum engendered by this structure, erected for a month every spring and fall to house a seasonal auditorium, cafe, and meeting place. Visible throughout the National Mall, the pavilion establishes a powerful architectural dialogue with the Hirshhorn's existing landmark building by Gordon Bunshaft and it underscores the vibrant interaction between architecture and content at the Museum. In exploring these exchanges, the publication illumines an initiative in the vanguard of design and culture, advanced by Diller Scofidio & Renfro’s groundbreaking practice and the Hirshhorn's innovative approach to curating public space as a vital destination hub supporting a global, multidisciplinary agenda of cultural and educational experiences.

Elizabeth Diller, founding principal of Diller Scofidio + Renfro, an interdisciplinary design studio that integrates architecture, visual arts, and performing arts. Diller attended Cooper Union School of Art and has a BA Cooper Union School of Architecture. She is currently a Professor of Architecture at Princeton University. Examples of DSR's international body of work: Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts; High Line, an urban park on elevated rail in NYC; School of American Ballet; and Institute of Contemporary Art Boston. Diller and partner Ricardo Scofidio are MacArthur Foundation 'genius' award recipients for their commitment to integrating architecture with issues of contemporary culture.

Jean-Louis Cohen, is an architect, author and art historian. He is Chair of History of Architecture at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts and a Board member of the Le Corbusier Foundation, France. His research interests include contemporary issues in architecture, town planning, and landscape design. Cohen has established his reputation as a leading international historian of architecture with major English-language publications on a range of subjects, including Le Corbusier and the history of European-American architecture. First trained as an architect, Jean-Louis Cohen holds a doctorate from the École des Hautes Études en Sciences Sociales.

Richard Koshalek is director of the Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum. He was president of Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, served as director of MOCA in LA for 20 years, and was assistant director, visual arts program, National Endowment for the Arts, working on projects curating public space. At MOCA he worked with architect Frank Gehry on design and construction of the Geffen Contemporary and with Japanese architect Arata Isozaki on the museum. Koshalek is noted for his commitment to new artistic initiatives, including commissioned works, scholarly exhibitions and publications and the building of new facilities that garnered architectural acclaim.

Erica Clark is associate director for program partnerships at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden/Smithsonian Institution in Washington, DC, where she is developing multidisciplinary collaborations and programs that position the Hirshhorn as an international center for dialogue on issues relevant to contemporary society and culture. Before coming to the Hirshhorn, Clark was senior vice president, International Initiatives at Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, CA, where she founded the International Initiatives department and launched new programs that underscored the role of design in many arenas.

Stefan Sagmeister is a New York-based graphic designer and typographer. He studied graphic design at the University of Applied Arts Vienna and at the Pratt Institute. Sagmeister has worked in Hong Kong with Leo Burnett's Hong Kong Design Group and with Tibor Kalman's M&Co design company. He formed Sagmeister Inc. in 1993 and designs branding, graphics, and packaging for clients such as Rolling Stones, the Guggenheim Museum, and Time Warner. He teaches in the graduate department of the School of Visual Arts in New York and is Frank Stanton Chair at the Cooper Union School of Art, New York.