Magical Inanimate Object of the Day: The Lotus Dome

Once upon a time, France put a lot of time, energy and money into building some of the world's most impressive Gothic churches. If the vaulted ceilings and flying buttresses seemed like God's work then, imagine what people would have thought of the Lotus Dome.

Designed by the Dutch Studio Roosegaarde, the Lotus Dome currently occupies the choir of the Sainte Marie Madeleine church in Lille, in Northern France. It's composed mostly of "smart foils," a NASA technology that Roosegaarde has put to use before, in fluttering walls that respond to human presence.

But the Lotus Dome is better still. It combines sensors, lights, and hundreds of foil flowers that open and close when people walk by. Just watch:

LOTUS DOME hundreds of high-tech flowers by Studio Roosegaarde from Daan Roosegaarde on Vimeo.

HT FastCoDesign.