http://www.studiothem.com THEM [Lynch + Crembil] Sun, 09 Jan 2011 06:16:11 +0000 http://www.studiothem.com en http://www.studiothem.com/Solar-S http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/Solar-S Sun, 09 Jan 2011 06:16:11 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 916616 (Multi-Storey Solar Dwelling) THEM with BriggsKnowles AD Location: China Year: 2007 Type: Competition Entry (finalist) International Solar Building Design Competition / ISES International Solar World Congress 2007. Beijing, China. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_RoofPlan_web_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="566" width_o="905" height_o="566" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_RoofPlan_web_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_TypPlan_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="566" width_o="905" height_o="566" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_TypPlan_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_EntryPlan_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="566" width_o="905" height_o="566" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_EntryPlan_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_LowPlan_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="566" width_o="905" height_o="566" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_LowPlan_o.jpg" align="left" /> The "S" shape of this 66-unit walk-up apartment building:Maximizes unit count, photovoltaic roof area and self-shading while minimizing western expesure.Provides all units with south-facing balconies and sun-rooms.Maintains a narrow building section, which increases interior daylight and the potential for cross-ventilation of all units.Creates two exterior courtyards -- a more public courtyard to the south and a more private entry court to the north. Strengthen the urban image of the adjacent street intersection.Produces varied unit types and spaces, avoiding the monotony of typical slab building. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_ElevS_web_6_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="236" width_o="905" height_o="236" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_ElevS_web_6_o.jpg" align="left" /> Integrated passive and active solar strategies: Louvered sunshades on the South facade minimize solar gain in the peak summer months and maximize solar gain in the winter.Louvers vary from west to east and from floor to floor, expressing different shading requirements."Breathing walls" built into the south facade provide convective heating in winter.Dampers and super-insulation prevent solar gain in summer.Sun-rooms (south-facing greenhouses) act as additional solar collectors.Photo-voltaic cells in the roof and the south-facing end wall provide 66% of the building's electrical needs throughout the year (and sell excess power to the grid).Evacuated tubes on the roof supply the building's domestic hot water needs for the year. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_SectPers_web_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="668" width_o="905" height_o="668" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/916616/Them_SolarS_SectPers_web_o.jpg" align="left" /> http://www.studiothem.com/Belle-Epoque-Restaurant http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/Belle-Epoque-Restaurant Sun, 09 Jan 2011 01:55:45 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 798062 Peter Lynch with designer Ahlaiya Yung (Metasus) Location: Shenzen, China Year: 2005 Type: Restaurant (built) <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/798062/PLynchAlhaya_BelleEpoque_details01_web_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="666" width_o="905" height_o="666" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/798062/PLynchAlhaya_BelleEpoque_details01_web_o.jpg" align="left" /> The design of Belle Epoque is a meditation on the era of industrialization in Continental Europe (1870-1930), a period where tradition met scientific development and handcraft techniques were challenged by industrial processes. Mankind began to explore creative possibilities latent in new methods and materials; the result was a synthesis of artistic sensibility and mechanical power. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/798062/PLynchAlhaya_BelleEpoque_bar_web_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="676" width_o="905" height_o="676" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/798062/PLynchAlhaya_BelleEpoque_bar_web_o.jpg" align="left" /> Belle Epoque is a showcase for the tremendous fabrication and craft resources of China today. The project draws upon the broadest possible range of fabrication knowledge --ranging from digital technology to traditional handwork - and integrates these techniques in a unique, totally designed space. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/798062/PLynchAlhaya_BelleEpoque_bar2_web_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="515" width_o="905" height_o="515" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/798062/PLynchAlhaya_BelleEpoque_bar2_web_o.jpg" align="left" /> When industrialization exhibited its potential to dominate and threaten the natural environment, a counteracting dream, art nouveau, began to take hold: the desire to express a world transformed by the organic life force. This design wishes to capture the spirit of that complex time, expressed in a modern way. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/798062/PLynchAlhaya_BelleEpoque_DiningRoom_web_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="526" width_o="1090" height_o="634" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/798062/PLynchAlhaya_BelleEpoque_DiningRoom_web_o.jpg" align="left" /> Belle Epoque is neither Western nor Eastern, traditional nor avant-garde, masculine nor feminine. It is a fruit of the special time in which we are living - one that is defined by the movement from industrial methods to computer-aided design and manufacture. It explores the overlap of these two worlds, and presents a complementary approach. http://www.studiothem.com/House-for-an-Industrialist http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/House-for-an-Industrialist Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:51:44 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 882123 Peter Lynch with designer Ahlaiya Yung (Studio Metasus) Location: Shenzhen, China Year: 2006-2009 Type: Built <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_planWeb_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="667" width_o="905" height_o="667" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_planWeb_o.jpg" align="left" /> Interior design and custom furnishings for a 500 m2 villa in Mission Hills, Shenzhen. The house is an exploration of craft, geometry, and ornament. Installations on the ceilings, floors, and walls are built up of custom-fabricated repetitive elements made of glazed ceramic tile, marble, anodized aluminum, lacquered and pickled hardwood, and woven rattan. These elements are arranged in non-repetitive, self-structuring patterns. The project was inspired by the work of naturalists D’Arcy Thompson and Cyril Stanley Smith. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_FirstDomeWeb_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="601" width_o="905" height_o="601" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_FirstDomeWeb_o.jpg" align="left" /> The visitor enters under an open latticework dome that spans across the two-story vestibule. This is the first in a series of domes located throughout the house. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_JellyFishDomeWeb_905.jpg" border="0" width="679" height="905" width_o="679" height_o="905" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_JellyFishDomeWeb_o.jpg" align="left" /> The elevator lobby encloses the canopy dome, a large jellyfish-like hyperbolic surface made of wooden blocks connected by hidden cables: the heart of the house. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_DiningDomeWeb_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="304" width_o="905" height_o="304" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_DiningDomeWeb_o.jpg" align="left" /> The double-layered lattice ceiling in the living room is made of bow-tie-shaped blocks of wood. The ceiling of the dining room is made of convex panels of woven rattan. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_ElevatorDomeWeb_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="629" width_o="905" height_o="629" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_ElevatorDomeWeb_o.jpg" align="left" /> The final dome in the sequence hangs in the upper elevator lobby. This central element, a collapsible yurt-like structure made of identical wood slats, hangs eccentrically within the existing reinforced concrete roof framing like a ghostly bell in mid-swing. From this lobby the visitor can look down upon the lattice dome. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_EntRoomWeb_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="653" width_o="905" height_o="653" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_EntRoomWeb_o.jpg" align="left" /> Walls of the entertainment room at the lower level are lined with custom high-relief slip-cast wall tiles. Mosaic glass tiles in concentric patterns are set into the marble floor. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_EntRoom2Web_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="609" width_o="905" height_o="609" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882123/PLynchAlhaya_LamHouse_EntRoom2Web_o.jpg" align="left" /> Manufacturers, skilled tradespeople, contractors, laborers, and the architects collaborated intensely for over two years to complete the house. One goal of the project was to demonstrate the high quality craftsmanship available in China today. http://www.studiothem.com/The-NL-House http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/The-NL-House Fri, 07 Jan 2011 02:12:13 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 882498 Gustavo Crembil with Ted Noten (jeweler, designer) Location: undefined (The Netherlands) Year: 2009-ongoing Type: Research Project <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882498/CrembilNoten_NLhouse_view01web_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="699" width_o="905" height_o="699" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882498/CrembilNoten_NLhouse_view01web_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882498/CrembilNoten_NLhouse_view02web_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="671" width_o="905" height_o="671" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882498/CrembilNoten_NLhouse_view02web_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882498/CrembilNoten_NLhouse_BigUnit_web60_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="699" width_o="905" height_o="699" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882498/CrembilNoten_NLhouse_BigUnit_web60_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882498/CrembilNoten_NLhouse_SmallUnit_web60_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="679" width_o="905" height_o="679" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882498/CrembilNoten_NLhouse_SmallUnit_web60_o.jpg" align="left" /> Developed at the European Ceramic Workcentre (EKWC), S'Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands. http://www.studiothem.com/The-Umbrella-Project http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/The-Umbrella-Project Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:47:48 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 882493 THEM with Pablo Capitanelli and Diego Dragotto (Quinua Architectura), Cordoba, Argentina. Location: Centro Cultural España-Cordoba (CCEC), Cordoba, Argentina Year: 2006-2009 Type: Research Project <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882493/Them2007_ParaguasCCEC-Night_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="679" width_o="905" height_o="679" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882493/Them2007_ParaguasCCEC-Night_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> Materials: wood structure, metal anchoring, PET plastic panels hand-woven on metal frames. Dimensions: 3.00 m (h) x 3.85 m (w) Fabrication Source Material (PET plastic bottles scavenging and stripping): "Los Carreros" Cooperative, Villa Urquiza, Cordoba "Bajada San Jose" Cooperative, San Vicente, CordobaHand-weaving with PET plastic: Copacabana Weavers, CordobaDean Funes Weavers, CordobaMetal Work (development and fabrication): Rodolfo Tosello Documentation: Video: Sebastian Aiello, Paula Beaulieu, Jeremias Castro, Federico FalcoPhotography: Alejandro Romanutti. Juan Druetta Sponsors: this project was supported at different stages by Avina, CONIN, Cranbrook Academy of Art, INICIDE, Raices, Rennsselaer Polytechnic Institute, Universidad Blas Pascal, and CCEC. http://www.studiothem.com/Cranbrook-Festival-Project http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/Cranbrook-Festival-Project Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:36:45 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 882478 Location: Cranbrook Academy of Art, Bloomfields Hills, Michigan, USA Year: 2005 Type: Project <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_PLprint_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="409" width_o="905" height_o="409" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_PLprint_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> The central quad of Cranbrook Academy of Art, a landmark school of fine and applied arts founded in 1932 by Finish architect Eliel Saarinen, will be the site for an annual summer dance and music festival. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_wireframeTopView_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="545" width_o="905" height_o="545" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_wireframeTopView_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> A demountable orchestra enclosure (OE) with translucent tension membrane roof will close the southern end of the Triton Pools; an axis of cascading reflecting pools bordered by chestnut trees. Eight sponsors pavilions (brellas) will dot the lawn. Since walls, buildings and trees constrict the site of the OE, a unique "ship in a bottle" approach is required for erection and de-installation . Designs for the OE and brellas incorporate a number of green and fair trade provisions. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_StageView_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="328" width_o="905" height_o="328" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_StageView_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> Main Orchestra Enclosure: steel frame w/6500 sq.ft. PVDF/PVDF structural enclosure. This fabric, which is 60% translucent, has recently been employed in Europe. Because substrate and coating are identical, the fabric is less prone to delamination and is easily recyclable. The internal frame supporting the fabric enclosure is composed of four cones attached to corners of a collapsible tresle. The tresle, which also supports stage lighting, is made of two A-frames connected by cross beams. Modular acoustical panels, stresses-skin with wood veneer facing, line the back of the stage. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_StageSideView_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="578" width_o="905" height_o="578" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_StageSideView_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> Brella Sponsors’ Pavilions: demountable tubular steel frames with woven recycled PET cladding. The complex shape of the “brella,” a vertical flaring trumpet with a rippled edge, is generated by joining curving strips of constant radius edge-to-edge. The similarity to a flower is no coincidence, since certain natural forms, like the cone of a morning glory, are generated by analogous growth patterns. Early full-scale test bands in woven palm were prepared by an indigenous community of weavers in Cordoba, Argentina and shipped to Cranbrook for prototypes and testing. The weavers will fashion the final panels out of PET strips, made from recycled water bottles. Cooperatives of recyclers in Rosario and Cordoba have offered to gather bottles and prepare the plastic strips. Our goal is to use community-based production as a seed for local economic development. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_brellas_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="511" width_o="905" height_o="511" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882478/Them_CranbrookFestival_brellas_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> http://www.studiothem.com/Abu-Dhabi-Bus-Terminal http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/Abu-Dhabi-Bus-Terminal Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:33:08 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 882471 THEM with Claude Hurt Architect Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE 2008 Year: 2008 Type: Renovation (Preliminary Study) <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882471/Them_AbuDhabi_planview_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="555" width_o="905" height_o="555" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882471/Them_AbuDhabi_planview_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882471/Them_AbuDhabi_PLsketch_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="555" width_o="905" height_o="555" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882471/Them_AbuDhabi_PLsketch_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882471/Them_AbuDhabi_sideView_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="555" width_o="905" height_o="555" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882471/Them_AbuDhabi_sideView_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> A small office tower at the Central Bus Terminal in Abu Dhabi, headquarters for the national transportation department, is in need of renovation. In addition to an upgrade of the interior spaces we proposed: enclosing the tower in a tubular sunscreen sleeve to improve energy efficiency and give it a stronger urban presence; reorganizing the mezzanine in the main waiting room and extending this level, by pedestrian bridge, over adjoining service roads; creating a defined public space in front of the terminal for a relocated taxi stand and restaurant; consolidating two existing traffic control towers into one taller tower; building a new platform for regional minibuses and connecting it to the main waiting room by underground link; extending this underground passage, in a future phase, to a proposed regional rail station 200 meters to the West; creating two "oasis" gardens, visible from either side of the main waiting area, to ameliorate the surrounding environment.The elevated walkway divides the renovated building in tow. The traffic control tower on the North side, named the "oil geyer tower" and faced in black glass, symbolizes Abu Dhabi's problematic source of wealth. A wind turbine, the sunshaded office tower, and a solar evaporative cooler occupy the South isde, symbolizing the city's aspiration to become the Middle East's leader in renewable energy. The building, one of the city's most important gateways, is a parable for the choices facing Abu Dhabi. http://www.studiothem.com/Amphitheater-at-Great-Falls http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/Amphitheater-at-Great-Falls Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:33:07 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 882473 THEM with L+C Design Consultants (Secaucus, New Jersey) Location: Paterson, New Jersey, USA Year: 2007 Type: Project <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882473/Them_Paterson_MainView_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="571" width_o="905" height_o="571" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882473/Them_Paterson_MainView_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> In 1791, Alexander Hamilton, the first US Secretary of the Treasury, founded the first planned industrial center in the US at the Great Falls of the Passaic River. A large manufacturing district soon developed, producing the nation's silk, cloth, hardware, guns, castings, and numerous other products through the 1950's. Today the falls provides a dramatic backdrop for an urban park and municipality-owned hydroelectric plant. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882473/Them_Paterson_ViewAndDwgs_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="442" width_o="905" height_o="442" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882473/Them_Paterson_ViewAndDwgs_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> In 2008, a 450-seat amphitheater was planned to be constructed on the Southern bank of the river, facing the gorge. The seating area will be set into an existing bowl in the sloping riverbank, and will tie together existing structures and historical fragments. Our goal was to fit the structure seamlessly into the existing landscape. http://www.studiothem.com/Cranbrok-Perystile-Enclosure http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/Cranbrok-Perystile-Enclosure Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:03:42 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 882425 Peter Lynch (Design), Gustavo Crembil (Head of Works) Location: Cranbrook Museum of Art & Library, Bloomfield Hills, Michigan, USA Year: 1997 Type: Temporary Architectural Installation <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882425/Them_CrbrkPerystile_INTprogress_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="608" width_o="905" height_o="608" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882425/Them_CrbrkPerystile_INTprogress_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> Elevation drawing (by Peter Lynch) <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882425/Them_PrbrkPerystile_ElevDwg_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="457" width_o="905" height_o="457" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882425/Them_PrbrkPerystile_ElevDwg_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882425/Them_PrbrkPerystile_close_1_905.jpg" border="0" width="697" height="905" width_o="697" height_o="905" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882425/Them_PrbrkPerystile_close_1_o.jpg" align="left" /> http://www.studiothem.com/The-Pleasure-Garden-PS1-MoMA http://www.studiothem.com/following/studiothem.com/The-Pleasure-Garden-PS1-MoMA Sun, 26 Dec 2010 23:02:56 +0000 THEM [Lynch + Crembil] 882288 Location: PS1 / MoMA, New York, NY. Year: 2008 Type: Competition (finalist) <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882288/Them_PS1model_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="679" width_o="905" height_o="679" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882288/Them_PS1model_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> The Museum of Modern Art and PS1 Contemporary Art Center are joint sponsors of the annual Young Architects Program in Queens, New York City. Every year five young architecture firms are invited to propose a temporary installation at PS1 to provide shade, water features, and resting areas for summer visitors. The winning proposal is realized. Now in its ninth year, the program has become an important venue for emerging architectural studios. In 2008 THEM proposed a “Pleasure Garden,” a place where sweaty urbanites, eager for Nature, could find shelter under a forest grove of hand-woven flower-shaped canopies, sunbathe in a romantic meadow, or have close encounters in a misty and wet grotto. The proposal, explored what "craft in the age of globalization” might look like. High- & low-tech processes, high- & low-skill techniques, local & foreign producers, and natural & industrial materials would be brought together within a fair-trade network: A coalition of rural basket weavers and informal urban scavengers in Argentina would hand-weave palm fronds into annular bands of constant radius. These would be shipped to NY as material samples. Hung from an undulating tubular steel edge beam and joined edge-to-edge, these curving bands would generate flower-shaped canopies. (The complex geometry, a hyperbolic surface, is an inevitable result of the wrapped annular bands.) The resulting forest of overlapping canopies, each 32 feet in diameter, would create a shady grove in the main courtyard of PS1. <img src="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882288/Them_PS1brellaModel_72dpi_905.jpg" border="0" width="905" height="679" width_o="905" height_o="679" src_o="http://payload.cargocollective.com/1/2/67100/882288/Them_PS1brellaModel_72dpi_o.jpg" align="left" /> A local community group, Sustainable South Bronx, would work with at-risk high school students to manufacture a new type of dry-laid soil-cement landscaping block for retaining walls, benches, and counters. The top and bottom surfaces of these blocks would have a sloping, undulating ruled surface that helped them stack and lock together. Three types of block (straight, curved, and half-curved) could be combined in different ways by enterprising "do-it-yourself" visitors to PS1, who would be free to build various structures on the "forest floor". Small independent ceramics manufacturers from Jingdezhen, China, (the millenary porcelain capital of the world) would fabricate glazed, slip-cast blocks for the grotto. These three dimensional blocks were the result of slip casting studies on spheres (as voids) packing and sectioning, that resulted in a number of different building units options. These three spaces of the garden, three different aspects of the Arcadian myth, might present three cases of how communities continuously reconvert themselves in order to survive. The exchange could be catalytic. Sustainable South Bronx, which is committed to revitalizing local manufacturing, might use the YAP opportunity to prototype a marketable product. The Argentinean weavers and cartoneros(1) might gain strength by joining their networks and leap into larger scale manufacturing and social recognition(2). The Jingdezhen manufacturers might gain a foothold in a new export market, high-relief wall tiles. The YAP project would create spin-offs unrelated to MoMA's patronage. + + + + + 1) “Cartoneros” (the cardboard people) and “cirujas” ( a deformation of the word “cirujano”, surgeon) are local Argentinean expressions for informal urban scavengers. 2) In 2007 and 2008 an umbrella prototype (a variation) was built and exhibited in many venues through Cordoba City, gaining local and national media recognition.