Finally, a Museum-Sized Ball Pit You Can Swim In

Nearly one million white balls fill the halls of the National Building Museum in Snarkitecture's 'The Beach.'

by Nathaniel Ainley

July 7, 2015, 7:30pm

All images courtesy of Snarkitecture, photos by Noah Kalina

A 10,000 square foot ball pit for adults fills the majestic ampitheater of the National Building Museum in Brooklyn-based design duo Snarkitecture's The Beach: an interactive architectural installation made up of almost a million translucent plastic balls.The new installation is painted in a monochromatic eggshell white similar to Snarkitecture’s previous collaboration with Chromeo at Milk Studios. The installation is enclosed within the area of the Museum’s great hall which has been walled off using wooden panels, scaffolding, and perforated mesh.

Visitors first walk onto The Beach’s 50-foot wide ‘shoreline,’ which features lounge chairs, umbrellas, and paddleball. Beachgoers can walk down into the ‘water’ and slowly emerge themselves into an ‘ocean’ of plastic balls. The back wall of the pit is mirrored, creating what the museum describes as a, “seemingly infinite reflected expanse” that resembles a real life oceanic landscape.