Moma/PS1 Young Architects Competition - Sun Rigor

Long Island City, NY

The annual MoMA/PS1 Young Architects Program is an invited competition for an installation in the PS1 museum courtyard that acts as the setting for a series of public events. Our design explored the capacity of architecture to simultaneously provide shelter from the sun’s intensity and to harness that power to provide comfort and energy for the numerous events that the project plays host to. A canopy of photovoltaic ribbons captures the sun’s rays while the undulating landscape beneath mediates between the human scale of the visitor and the urban scale of the overall courtyard. Meanwhile, fog machines, fans, and waterfalls create a gradient of micro-climates that accommodate a diverse set of activities and comfort levels.