Ithaca, New York—based practice Jenny Sabin Studio has won the 18th iteration of The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and MoMA PS1’s annual Young Architects Program for her project entitled Lumen. The immersive design will be on show starting June 27 at the MoMA PS1 courtyard in Long Island City.
Lumen changes throughout the day, offering shade and shelter from the sun, while also providing artificial illumination after sunset. This is achieved thanks to a tubular lattice canopy comprised of recycled, photo-luminescent, and solar active textiles that absorb, collect, and emit light. The canopy reacts to changes in daylight, absorbing and producing light when necessary. In conjunction with this, fabric stalactites will release mist in response to visitors’ proximity, allowing the adaptive structure to respond to changes in heat and the density of the crowd.
Sabin’s design will be present for the 20th season of Warm Up, an outdoor music series from MoMA PS1, and will stay on view for the rest of summer. Lumen was chosen as the winner ahead of four other projects. The competition brief called for projects that address environmental issues such as sustainability and recycling. The temporary outdoor installation had to be capable of providing water as well as seating and shade.
“Jenny Sabin’s catalytic immersive environment, Lumen, captured the jury’s attention for imaginatively merging public and private spaces,” said Sean Anderson, associate curator in MoMA’s Department of Architecture and Design. “With innovative construction and design processes borne from a critical merging of technology and nature to precise attention to detail at every scale, Lumen will no doubt engage visitors from day to night in a series of graduated environments and experiences.”
Losing out to Sabin were four other finalists. These included Bureau Spectacular (Jimenez Lai and Joanna Grant), Ania Jaworska, Office of III (Sean Canty, Ryan Golenberg, and Stephanie Lin), and SCHAUM/SHIEH (Rosalyne Shieh and Troy Schaum). Despite not being realized, their work will be on show at the MoMA during the summer.
“The Young Architects Program remains one of the most significant opportunities for architects and designers from across the country and world to build radical yet transformative ideas. This year’s finalists are no exception; their projects illustrate a diversity of approaches and refreshing ideas for architecture today,” Anderson added.
