Jenny Sabin Studio has been selected as the winner of this year’s Museum of Modern Art and MoMA PS1’s Young Architects Program. The architectural design firm that investigates the intersections of architecture and science, biology, and mathematics was handpicked from a line-up of five finalists earlier this month. The shortlist was comprised of 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). Jenny Sabin Studio’s winning piece, entitled Lumen, will be installed in the MoMA PS1 courtyard from 29 June.

An immersive design that evolves throughout the course of a day, Lumen is comprised of responsive tubular structures made from lightweight knitted fabric and a recycled, photo-luminescent and solar active textile canopy. The large-scale installation provides shelter from the midday sun in the daytime, whilst absorbing and subsequently delivering light in the evening. To further the audience’s engagement and participation, the piece features a misting system that responds to visitors’ proximity. Installed within the piece are fabric stalactites, which once activated, produce a refreshing micro-climate. The show’s multisensory aspect is inspired by levity, play and interaction: its transformative structure and materials adapt to the densities of bodies, heat and sunlight making it both socially and environmentally responsive.

Now in its 18th edition, the Young Architects Program offers emerging architectural talent the opportunity to design and present innovative projects. It challenges winners to develop creative designs for a temporary, outdoor installation that provides shade, seating and water. Alongside the display of Jenny Sabin Studio’s winning piece, an exhibition of the five finalists’ proposed projects will also be on view at MoMA throughout the summer. The 2017 Young Architects Program is made possible by Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Sean Anderson, Associate Curator in MoMA’s Department of Architecture and Design states: “Jenny Sabin’s catalytic immersive environment, Lumen, captured the jury’s attention for imaginatively merging public and private spaces. 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.”

Jenny Sabin Studio, Winner of the 2017 Young Architects Program.

Lumen opens 29 June, MoMA PS1, New York.

Find out more: www.jennysabin.com. Additional details at: www.moma.org.

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Credits
1. Jenny Sabin Studio, Lumen, 2017. Young Architects Program 2017, MoMA PS1, New York.