Samsung Rio Olympics Pavilions
A trio of Samsung pavilions designed for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, each offering a distinct architectural expression, from tropical-green louvered volumes and luminous glass cubes to spiraling media towers, that together redefined the brand experience at the world's largest sporting event.
Asymptote Architecture designed three distinct Samsung pavilions for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, each sited at a key location across the host city. The first pavilion, located in the Olympic Park, features a bold green-louvered facade inspired by the surrounding tropical landscape and Sugarloaf Mountain. Its undulating interior walls and immersive digital ceiling create a fluid spatial experience where visitors engage with Samsung’s latest technologies while surrounded by evocations of the Brazilian rainforest. A second pavilion along the Copacabana beachfront takes the form of a transparent glass volume that becomes a luminous media beacon at night, broadcasting Olympic content to passersby along the iconic waterfront.
Olympic Park Pavilion
The largest of the three structures anchors the Olympic Park with a cluster of dramatic cylindrical towers wrapped in large-scale media facades. Inside, a sweeping spiral ramp descends through multiple levels around a central void, connecting immersive galleries equipped with panoramic screens and interactive installations. A monumental clock installation suspended from the ceiling marks the passage of the Games in real time, while a digital pool at the base of the atrium projects marine-life animations beneath visitors’ feet, weaving the ocean theme of Rio’s setting into Samsung’s technology narrative.
Global Connectivity Pavilion
A third pavilion introduces a striking glass-cube form crowned by sculptural volumes and anchored by a grand interior atrium. A suspended globe of the Earth dominates the central space, surrounded by hexagonal-patterned walls and freestanding display pods that invite visitors to explore Samsung’s vision of global connectivity. Taken together, the three pavilions demonstrate Asymptote’s ability to translate a single brand identity into varied architectural languages, each responsive to its specific site and program, while maintaining a cohesive design sensibility rooted in media, movement, and immersive spatial experience.
