Designed as a proposal for the EXPO 2012, SOMA Architecture’s pavilion looks like a stranded leviathan-biomimetic structure that references the breathing systems of marine creatures. Its kinetic façade, developed together with Knippers Helbig Advanced Engineering, is one of the largest adaptive structures ever built and mimics the baleen filter used by whales. Comprizing 108 lamellae made from glass fiber reinforced plastic, the façade opens and closes through elastic bending. A system of 216 coordinated servo motors close all but 13 lamellae during strong winds.