Page 74 - Lighting-Magazine-August-2014

an Organic Original

t looks like some sort of New Age teepee or a
structural oasis in the middle of a desert; how-
ever, the seting for this experimental building
made of biodegradable material is Long Island
ICity in the borough of Queens, New York. Con-
structed in the courtyard of MoMA PS1 – one of the
largest art institutions in the U.S. dedicated solely to
contemporary art – this circular tower is comprised
of organic bricks covered in refective material. The
entire biodegradable structure was created through
a new method of bio-design conceived by designer
David Benjamin of the New York-based architec-
tural frm called The Living.
Now in its 15 edition, the Young Architects Pro-
th
gram (YAP) at MoMA and MoMA PS1 is renowned
for ofering emerging architectural talent the oppor-
tunity to present creative designs for a temporary,
outdoor installation that provides shade, seating,
and water. The architects must also work within
guidelines that address environmental issues, in-
cluding sustainability and recycling.
The Hy-Fi project shown here was selected from
among fve fnalists and serves as a temporary ur-
ban structure for the 2014 Warm Up summer music
series, which began on June 28 and will continue
through September 7.

This biodegradable

installation is made

with “living” bricks and
refective flms that divert

and bounce sunlight down

through the structure to
illuminate the space inside.

What is unique about the Hy-Fi project is that it
combines cuting-edge engineering with innovative
biotechnology to form a new building material that Each brick is made
is grown rather than manufactured. The result is a of 100-percent
structure that is almost entirely compostable! The organic mater that
is a combination of
bricks are made of 100 percent organic mater — a discarded cornstalks
combination of discarded cornstalks and living root- and living root-like
like structures from mushrooms. Afer a few days structures from
in a mold, this mixture hardens into a sturdy, light- mushrooms.
weight solid. The natural cycle of carbon through the

72 enLIGHTenment MAgAzine | August 2014 www.enlightenmentmag.com