# Carnival-Inspired Museum Designs Tate Harmer's 'Big Tent' Will House London's Museum of Scouting By Joey Haar | Published 2017-01-06 | Art & Design Source: Trend Hunter, https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/tate-harmers-big-tent References: [archdaily](http://www.archdaily.com/802967/tate-harmers-big-tent-wins-competition-for-new-museum-of-scouting-in-london) & [tateharmer](http://tateharmer.com/) Tate Harmer's Big Tent design is appropriately whimsical considering its purpose. The London-based architecture firm's building proposal, which won a preceding design competition put on by The Scout Association, features a [giant, colorful tent](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/play-pavilion-1) that looks reminiscent of the big tops at a carnival. The childish glee that Tate Harmer's Big Tent evokes meshes nicely for the planned [museum of scouting](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/museum-for-papirkunst). For nearly a century, the Scouts have been a popular organization for kids interested in learning about nature and survival. The fabric of the tent is thus planned to be made up of the Scouts' iconic neckerchiefs. Beyond the tent itself, the building will feature plenty of [open air and ecologically conscious volumes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/cmp-inspiration) in order to remain in line with the ethos of the Scouts Association. ## Trend Insights (Trend Hunter) - Score: 2.5/10 - Popularity: 47% | Activity: 21% | Freshness: 8% - Audience gender: 50% men, 50% women - Primary generations: Gen Z, Gen Alpha - Top markets: Europe ## Categories [Trend Hunter](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends) > [Art & Design](https://www.trendhunter.com/artdesign) > [Architecture](https://www.trendhunter.com/architecture) ## Key Themes ### Why This Trend Is Growing - **Whimsical Architecture:** Architecture firms can explore more design approaches that are childlike and whimsical for playful environments like museums and amusement parks. - **Eco-conscious Building:** Designers can look towards incorporating green building elements, such as natural ventilation, in buildings to stay in line with environmentally conscious organizations. - **Clothing-based Design:** Fashion designers and architects can explore the use of clothing and accessories as building materials for unique and creative building designs. ### Industries Being Reshaped - **Architecture:** Architecture firms can use innovative design approaches like whimsical architecture and eco-conscious building to capture unique projects, like museums and amusement parks. - **Fashion:** Fashion designers can explore new opportunities in clothing-based design, such as using textiles as building materials for unique and creative structures. - **Education:** Educational organizations like museums can seek to incorporate fun, playful, and imaginative architecture to engage and inspire young learners. ## Related on Trend Hunter - [Circus Tent-Inspired Holiday Homes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/the-circus.md) - [Inflatable House-Shaped Tents](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/air-architecture-inflatable-tent.md) - [Tent‑Filled Daycare Spaces](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/deya-day-care.md) - [Transparent Teardrop-Shaped Tents](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/yuko-nagayama-associates.md) - [Modular Tent Classroom Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/zaha-hadid-architects-2.md) - [Lunar Lander-Inspired Tents](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/kudhva-kanvas-ktent.md) - [Curvaceous Artful Play Pavilions](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/play-pavilion.md) - [Angular Multi-Level Tents](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/nokken-softshell-tent.md) - [Educational Storage Shed Designs](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/big-roof.md)