The New York-based architecture and design firm behind the proposal, HWKN, won the 13th Young Architects Program, which honors a young practice by inviting to design and build an outdoor installation in the courtyard of MoMA PS1.
The project, called Wendy, features a network of scaffolding apparatus on the site that resembles a three-dimensional blue star enclosing nylon fabric treated with a chemical spray with Titania nanoparticles that neutralizes airborne pollutants. This stretchy blue fabric is the first of its kind using a technology developed by British designer Helen Storey and scientist Tony Ryan, teaming up for Catalytic Clothing.
The project is based on a simple idea: increase the amount of fabric on site and increase the air quality in the surrounding neighborhood. Marc Kushner and Matthias Hollwich estimate that Wendy’s good deeds will be equivalent to removing 260 cars from the road.
The New York Times quotes “It’s a really fun thing but it’s actually playing with brand new materials and technologies that are going to have more and more practical applications,” said Barry Bergdoll, the chief curator of architecture and design at the Museum of Modern Art.
Mr. Bergdoll said it would also be great to look at. “It’s aesthetically unforgettable because it pops out of the courtyard and looks like this huge ornament,” he said. “It’s going to be amazing from the No. 7 train.”
A video about Catalytic Clothing, below.
LOCATION: New York, NY
CLIENT: MoMA PS1
SIZE: 5,000 sq ft
SCOPE: Ongoing
STATUS: Coming Summer 2012!
TEAM: Marc Kushner, Matthias Hollwich, Robert May, Adam Hostetler, Matthew Hoffman, Tim Aarsen, David Lee, Ryan Donaghy, Clare Reidy, Dwight Engel, Dongil Kim, Eunsun Park, Brett Wiemann, Andreas Kostopoulos, Andreas Tjeldflaat, Evan Litvin, Gregory Knobloch.
CONCEPT
Wendy does not play the typical architecture game of ecological apology - instead she is pro-active. . That is why Wendy is composed of nylon fabric treated with a ground breaking titania nanoparticle spray to neutralize airborne pollutants. During the summer of 2012 Wendy will clean the air to an equivalent of taking 260 cars off the road. Wendy’s boundary is defined by tools like shade, wind, rain, music, and visual identity to reach past the confines of physical limits. Wendy crafts an environment - not just a space. Spikey arms reach out with micro-programs like blasts of cool air, music, water canons and mists to create social zones throughout the courtyard.