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.
