bubble wrap

bubble wrap is a reappropriation of the contemporary obsession with sustainability through the design of a new type of cultural and ecological infrastructure and a challenge of the typical tower typology.

bubble wrap blends a necessity for a pure, clean, livable, breathable city with the need for a new interpretation of public space and infrastructure. it is a parasite powered by the excess energy of public transit and the exhaust pollution from our cars and buildings. it provides us with a public space, an air-purifying utility, and a cultural venue.

bubble wrap takes advantage of its necessity for an elevated structure as a result of efficient air collection and effectively doubles the public open space on the site. the projects program ranges from environmental infrastructure, to cultural venues, research and educational facilities, and generous amounts of open space.

bubble wrap was inspired by contemporary modes of phytoremediation and plant assisted air purification. a series of planted pods are deployed to cleanse polluted air at a neighborhood scale. air is collected from subway exhaust via an extensive chimney system and at street level through the building facade, then passed through a sequential phytoremediation and traditional scrubbing process, then propagated through the building to create a series of microclimates which are suited to the program, then re-released at street level.

in addition to being an effective and ecologically friendly air purifying device, bubble wrap performs double duty by reimagining a new type of public space. the articulation and delamination of the pods in the project provide the perfect opportunity for a cultural center and public space intertwined with the agenda and goals of a new, sustainable city. the visible remediation strategy employed throughout the building is part of a wider and more inclusive concept of community awareness and involvement.

type: concept
program: public air purifying facility / public park / research center
size: 200,000 sq ft