HWKN Wins 2012 PS 1 Young Architects Program

By Sean Koetting

New York-based HWKN has been selected for this year’s MoMA/PS 1 Young Architects Program. Their proposal, called “Wendy,” uses standard scaffolding to create a visually arresting object that straddles the three outdoor rooms of the PS 1 courtyard. Tensioned fabric coated in smog-eating paint provides shelter and programming areas including a stage, shower, and misters. “Their proposal is quite attractive in a number of ways. It’s very economical in terms of design,” said Pedro Gadanho, the curator of contemporary architecture at MoMA. “One object creates a variety of programmatic and ecological conditions and its scale rivals the height of the PS 1 building.”



All the materials can be disassembled and reused, and according to Gadanho, the jury was particularly impressed with the combination of standardized parts (the scaffolding) and cutting edge technology (the smog-eating coating). “It’s pro-active, it’s not apologetic,” he said. “It begins to point to a new way to think about sustainability.” The designers, led by principals Matthias Hollwich and Marc Kushner and project architect Robert May, estimate the fabric will remove as much smog as taking 250 cars off the road. The pavilion will open in late this June.

Thanks for reading,
Sean Koetting

Originally posted on archpaper.com | Wednesday, February 8, 2012 | Alan G. Brake