Cucuyo is a cocoon-shaped, 3D-printed stainless-steel café fabricated by MX3D for the Pérez Art Museum Miami, combining art, architecture, and technology in a mobile waterfront gathering space.
“It was a challenge to design a piece that was not only lightweight and easily disassembled for relocation, but also fully functional,” notes Claudia Busch, Founding Principal of BBA. “That is why we decided to work with MX3D on manufacturing this project. Their unique technology allowed the construction of this site-specific piece that meets all structural requirements while seamlessly fitting into the PAMM environment.”
THE STORY BEHIND
MX3D, in collaboration with Miami-based Berenblum Busch Architects (BBA), created Cucuyo, a sculptural outdoor bar for the Perez Art Museum Miami (PAMM). Installed on the museum terrace overlooking Biscayne Bay, the stainless-steel café combines innovative 3D printing technology with functional design, opening to the public on September 27, 2017.
Named after childhood memories of catching glowing click beetles, Cucuyo takes the form of a cocoon-shaped, waterside mobile café. The design merges sculptural artistry with practical functionality, serving coffee, sandwiches, and bites by Chef Kaytlin Dangaran of Verde.
“The cutting-edge and sculptural design of Cucuyo complements PAMM’s Herzog & de Meuron building with its shaded verandas and plazas built for public engagement,” says Franklin Sirmans, Director of PAMM. “It creates another meeting point for conversation and enhances a waterfront space designed to ‘bring the park into the museum’ in innovative ways. “
ABOUT TECHNOLOGY
Constructed using MX3D’s industrial robot equipped with an advanced welding machine, the café’s open shell exterior features intricate, thin crossbeams that encase the interior while allowing breezes from Biscayne Bay to pass through. Weighing 700 pounds, Cucuyo is the first large-scale architectural application of MX3D’s 3D printing technology, demonstrating that the design freedoms used in small-scale 3D printing can be applied at an architectural scale.
Cucuyo is divided into three main components: the front counter, back counter, and door. Measuring 20 feet long, 9 feet high, and 12 feet wide, the café integrates an advanced counter, electrical configuration, and plumbing while remaining mobile and easily disassembled for events or extreme weather conditions. Adelee Cabrera, Regional Director of STARR Catering Group, adds: “Together, we created a functional and dynamic architectural piece that allows us to serve the community in a more diverse way.”
