Architectural Ephemera: Unbuilt MoMA PS1 Installations

Among the many events New Yorkers look forward to each summer, the architectural installation in the courtyard of MoMA PS1 has become a haven for those who love art, music and design. As part of the Young Architects Program (YAP), each year a jury selects five finalists to present proposals which promise to transform the museum’s outdoor space from a barren rock garden into a rock music venue with performances and open-air galleries. Highly saturated in both beer and enthusiasm, PS1’s music series “Warm Up” occurs in tandem with the installation, providing an eager audience to inhabit these temporary structures.

Each year, however, four unrealized projects never leave the digital realm. These are architectural apocrypha that are immortalized in the freedom of their virtual existence, and also play a critical role in identifying emerging talent in the architectural field. The Young Architects Program has since expanded to include programs globally in Rome, Istanbul, Santiago and Seoul. In advance of this summer’s installation in New York by Escobedo Solíz Studio, a Mexico City based firm, we reflect on some of the unbuilt work that has been produced as part of YAP.

Underberg MoMA PS1by LAMAS, Queens, N.Y., United States

These apparently massive forms loom over the courtyard, providing much desired shade for the otherwise concrete space. For added effect, the edges drip water as if made of weeping solid ice blocks.

MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program: Moments by AEDS | Ammar Eloueini Digit-all Studio Design, Queens, N.Y., United States

Comprised of subtlety placed pavilions throughout the courtyard, this project makes no grand gesture but rather provides the framework for simultaneous intimate “moments” to occur.

Mirror Mirror by Collective–LOK, Queens, N.Y., United States

A net of mirrors is designed to both reflect light away from the courtyard and catch a glimpse of yourself in the slumping surface. Underneath, the cool environment gives revelers a refuge away from the summer sun.

MoMa PS1 YAP Finalist 2013: White Noise by French 2Design, Queens, N.Y., United States

An installation to engage visitors in a visual and aural landscape sourced from the occupants themselves. This project delves into issues of scale, inter-connectivity, texture and phenomenological experiences.

MoMA PS1: Reef by IwamotoScott Architecture, Queens, N.Y., United States

Imitating an aquatic environment, this project interacts with light and wind to produce a tranquil conversion of the PS1 Courtyard.

My Hair is at MoMA PS1by TempAgency, Queens, N.Y., United States

Perhaps the wackiest of recent proposals, this resourceful intervention brings together a tapestry of NYC’s salon leftovers — human hair!

PSi: Summer Blow Up by Bade Stageberg Cox, Queens, N.Y., United States

Using air as a building material, Bade Stageberg Cox abstracts a cloud form to make shade. This proposal produces virtually no solid waste, a practice for which past installations have been strongly criticized.