MoMA PS1

Wendy was a temporary installation in the MoMA PS1 courtyard in New York providing event space and promoting sustainable energy. This project was selected in the MoMA PS1 Young Architects Program Competition and was installed during summer 2012. Wendy created different micro-climates through the use of shade, wind, and water. The fabric was coated with a titanium dioxide nanofilm, which is meant to neutralize air pollutants.
The structure used standard construction scaffolding, a ready-made system which is quick to build and could be easily adapted to this unique application. The structure is based on a basic cubic scaffolding grid that builds the frame for a 3 dimensional star-shaped fabric surface. Knippers Helbig was able to avoid conventional bracing requirements for scaffolding systems, which require X-bracing in every other bay, by instead using structural elements along the star edges to brace the overall structure. Wendy is a perfect example of a building that was developed through a symbiotic approach between architectural intent and structural necessity. Wendy was also temporarily located in Abu Dhabi as part of the 2013 Sustainability Week.