Elliot White, a 3rd year architecture student at Pratt Institute in New York has sent us these images of his conceptual design for a redevelopment of Queens Museum of Art at the World’s Fair site in Queens, New York.
The design is raised off the ground, creating a public space underneath that can be used for events when the museum is closed.
The building would be constructed using a lattice structure, covered with a layer of concrete. During construction a huge plastic bag would be inflated inside the structure to support the concrete until it hardened.
The museum is intended to contain a model of New York City’s five boroughs.
The information below is from Elliot White:
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This project was completed in the fall of 2008 under the direction of David Ruy and Karel Klein of RuyKlein. The intention was to develop sensitivities to surface conditions. The work included physical and digital modeling experiments in cloth. The site is a redevelopment of the Queens Museum at the World’s Fair site in Queens, New York. The museum contains a permanent display of a very large-scale model of New York City’s five boroughs.
Unexpectedly the physical modeling of the cloth produced a most interesting and unintended result. This unexpected result however, provided a fantastic jumping off point for digital exploration. By raising the program off the ground level a public space is created under the building that offers access round the clock, offering space for events even when the museum is closed.
A structural lattice provides ample interior spaces while creating a process that significantly simplifies construction. A plastic ‘bladder’ is inflated inside the structural lattice, then a layer of Concrete Canvass is laid on top, sprayed with water, and sets on the outside of the lattice.
As for the interior, I wanted to create a sense of corporeality. To accomplish this I have taken the top lines of the interior of the shell and pulled them out in a manner that creates a landscape that must be negotiated in three dimensions. The interior walls would be constructed out of stacked glass, creating translucent divisions of the rooms.
February 9th, 2009 at 3:10 am
Great job Elliot!
just a question? the form follows function? the function follows form? or it is just a “form” that was created with out any sense?
mmmmm maybe victim of a trendy architecture.
February 9th, 2009 at 3:46 am
The concept is similar to Phaeno Science Center by Zaha Hadid … I think Elliot should take more interest in things would see that within this museum, the truth could not put any paint. I really worried about what bubble shapes and draw attention, it’s a shame that someone who is formed in this profession to fall into platitudes and more punishment I get there people who do not know these people lead. otherwise does not think that this page to display works of architecture to promote debate or to publish works that draws attention, lately the worse every day …
February 9th, 2009 at 7:58 am
art museum? where is the art?
February 9th, 2009 at 8:05 am
great work!!!!!!!!
awesome design, finally a concept in which exterior and interior fit perfect together.
u did a good job!
February 9th, 2009 at 8:48 am
please no more student’s projects…….
February 9th, 2009 at 8:57 am
nice idea….like the fact of how its emerging from a very simple thought to something complex…..but how does this work out structurallly…especiallly the spanning of concrete over the spaces…….
February 9th, 2009 at 9:25 am
way way way too complicated and messy
February 9th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Would be nice to see some context, but not sure this would be contextual anywhere really..,except on a beach.
For me it’s not my style. There are no joints, conections, human materials, texture, colour, atmosphere.. there are senses we use in a space we call architecture.. I’m not sure I would be a happy camper in this space… sorry.. just not my type..
February 9th, 2009 at 9:35 am
whoa… thats crazy..
February 9th, 2009 at 9:38 am
Can anything sent to Dezeen to be posted on the web?
I find this project a tad underdeveloped and a bit all over the place. I guess I am most shocked by how dated the final design seems with the chrome/mirror finish and lack of any surrounding context in the renderings.
Can this project actually be built by layering concrete canvas over top of plastic bags? Doesn’t that make you feel like you’re in preschool again make paper maché balloons?
Focus on how to develop a design beyond ‘lifting it off the ground to create public space’ – yawn
February 9th, 2009 at 9:52 am
Congratulations Elliot!
But, why do you hide the structural shell behind that shiny skin? I think yours is a structural-project, just let it show… Remember those brazilian projects?
February 9th, 2009 at 9:56 am
NO NO NO NO , I wont say what it looks like to me
February 9th, 2009 at 10:04 am
you have potential as a designer. but i think you’ve got to learn some restraint or refinement. this is a mess. and i don’t find it refreshing. good luck
February 9th, 2009 at 10:32 am
eeeh..Why are thirdyear students around the world doing the exact same thing? No context, no meaning, no function, scaleless…. it could be anything, it could be a toy or a villa or a museum. No thought of the art. No, it has to be enough now! Is this my generation of architecture… it makes me sick, and we didn´t even come up with it ourself, its just Copy-cat….
And why does Dezeen publish all this student-blob-stuff?
The renders and models are not that hard to do as they look like, dont be impressed by it, please….
February 9th, 2009 at 10:49 am
I don’t know… I mean it’s a museum of art, so I think the architecture of the building should not outshine the artworks of the exhibition. The role of the architecture in this context is to provide a framework for the artworks. But this doesn’t mean that the building has to look boring, – I see the challenge there.
February 9th, 2009 at 10:50 am
well done, you’ve learnt how to use Rhino. Can you please stop publishing student projects.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:06 am
To me this project looks like a classic example of a student who wanted to use 3D Studio Max (or other modelling software) and complex shiny renderings and so manipulated their project to suit the visuals. Form follows function in my opinion and this “Art museum” is in reality no more than an “event space” crammed into a pretty shell.
Nice models though.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:24 am
Easy to design when you don’t have a budget.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:34 am
Please please. No more student projects.
February 9th, 2009 at 12:30 pm
There’s nothing wrong with the occasional student project. In fact a website dedicated to it would be good. It’s refreshing to see what’s possible with less restrictions and wise to keep an eye on where we might be headed. True indeed projects are manipulated to suit renderings and modeling abilities but we should support students effort and thinking. A site such as this that offers some intelligent commentary is valuable to both the student and reader.
February 9th, 2009 at 1:02 pm
i like student projects, maybe dezeen could form a new website dezeenstudentprojects.com or something a little shorter….
February 9th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
it’s like an orang utang trying to make an installation inside the pantheon i think!
February 9th, 2009 at 2:36 pm
more student projects please, and throw out those old books collecting dust on the shelves.
February 9th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
yes please, no more student projects.
And besides Greg Lynn has already has already taken Blobs out of fashion for theoretical design work. So unless you have an actual client willing to put actual money on the table… you should be much further along in your exploration of design theory.
Theory should be light years ahead of practice.
February 9th, 2009 at 3:39 pm
Seriously, enough with the student projects. This project is a masturbatory one-liner.
February 9th, 2009 at 3:57 pm
This is my very first post but I have been a subscriber to Dazeen for a long time now and although student work seems to bring up such mixed feeling of ‘hurray’ and ‘go away’, I don’t necessarily think that it should be ignored by Dazeen due to some unwritten rule which I see people tossing about left right and centre about how only work by professional architects should be given the time of day. Where on earth did this claptrap snobbery stem from?
At the end of the day, whether you are a professional architect or a student architect we are all in the same situation. With varying taste and critiques aside it would do people well to exercise some respect and professional demeanour to others who put in the hard work because ultimately you come across as an ignorant fool with a chip on your shoulder when your only contribution to this blog is derogatory and deprecating rants. I am utterly sick of seeing so little being uttered by so many!
My only criticism of Dazeen publishing student work is that it is not broad enough in the scheme of things. Put it this way, would the work of a 3rd year student from a lesser known architectural institution like Pratt, GSD, AA, Bartlett get the same look in…?
February 9th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
Nice showing Elliot. There will always be critics who only want to see what Zaha’s younglings have done this week. I think that it is important to showcase emerging talent from both the academic and professional world.
February 9th, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I am far from believing in this project. It is void of any non-visual sensory experience. Why is the light so blatantly unconsidered? Where is the mood, the atmosphere? Its a wiggling funky garage space that reminds me of how hard the white paint at the New Museum, NYC is working to make up for lack of inspiration. However, the kid has balls. Look how far he went. As long as he understands that at the end, if a critic was to step on the final model it would most certainly improve the project, as it would immediately start to create more of a relationship to the ground and its resultant section would be spot on.
February 9th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
by the 3rd year you should have some knowledge of structural design elements….right? maybe the pratt institute has invented some new sort of invisible structural system?
February 9th, 2009 at 7:39 pm
an wonderfull project for a student in progress. My hope is that Eliott and his generation will be through with this kind of trendy Zaha architecture when he rendered a few of those projects and builds better one in a next avantgarde step.
February 9th, 2009 at 8:28 pm
Student or not, this project was designed by a man with a mustache.
February 9th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Gnarly! I love it!
February 9th, 2009 at 10:42 pm
the graphic quality of the presentation is disappointing. the colors are bland and the blue from the “context” sky is far too overpowering. its very difficult to get a handle on this design because the drawings arent strong enough.
by the way, dont ever say “i wanted to…” because in the real world nobody cares what you want. you have to have good and real reasons for everything you do…start now.
February 9th, 2009 at 11:50 pm
you have a great design potencial, no doubt. in 3rd year…?? Wow!!!
I only want you to think in what kind of world are you purposing…?!?because there is a larger concept above the fluids, the skins, the shapes. Look at the world, not just for yourself…
Capitalism and schizophrenia…, I do not want that!!
February 10th, 2009 at 12:34 am
If the generations before us would have thought in that same conservative and obdurate way, we probably would still sit around in some roman churches in Europe and places like Manhattan (highrises!?!) would never exist not even being discovered… because the world is flat, right?!
Progress is experimenting, playing with the impossible, designing utopia, longing for tools to make it happen in the future, breaking the rules…and why not having fun with that and make it look as sexy as you can and want?
If we all would think in that stiff way there wouldn’t exist any O-shaped high-rises, over 800m tall buildings, inflatable stadiums, buildings ‘made’ of fog, facades and constructed systems behaving like living organisms, Dolly, Apple, phones without buttons …
Isn’t it about challenging and inspiring our minds over and over again, being open-minded to challenge the ordinary, until we develop ways to make things work in reality … structurally, spatially, economically… and who decides now about the spatial conditions that future art and next generations will require and enjoy?
February 10th, 2009 at 12:36 am
it makes me sick…what’s the purpose of this hideous form…!!!!???
February 10th, 2009 at 3:32 am
uhhh… AAB, this is from Pratt.
February 10th, 2009 at 4:00 am
I have no problem with student work, however, without seeing the context, I am assuming it was designed for an urban area. Given that, why would you want to create covered public space? Forget Corbusier, urban public space needs to be open, in 30 years, or perhaps much, much sooner, that space will be a haven for everything bad that happens in cities, let alone the fact that it will be completely unused. Elliot, please, please take an hour and watch The Social Order of Small Urban Spaces by Willam Whyte before you design anything, ever again.
February 10th, 2009 at 8:46 am
Oh dear! I shall rename myself, simon the severely disturbed unicorn. Its a shame you didnt draw this one in pencil, because then you could simply rub it out!
February 10th, 2009 at 8:56 am
I’m very impressed with this for a 3rd yr student. Some beautiful models. You have good skills already. Hope you keep the same work rate and vision going for your diploma (or American equivalent)
Some people will moan “how will you build this???”, “form over function”, “Its art not architecture”. “Its not designed for it purpose.”Do not listen. Whilst this project is in University and completely theoretical, I see no problem with the exploration of such forms. Why not go a little crazy? Architecture is meant to be a an expansion of our ways of thinking. If it weren’t we’d land up with even more bland dross being thrown up in our built environment.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:05 am
Good stuff Elliot. I like the structural effect on the inside. Although I feel more light would be needed inside and particularily underneath your building. As far as the critics are concerned there are some valid points, but don’t listen to the ‘not possible’ folks. Remember that ten years ago it was not possible that Obama could become president of the US.
February 10th, 2009 at 9:12 am
I’m very impressed with this for a 3rd yr student. Some beautiful models. You have good skills already.
Some people will moan about projects like this. Mainly these ‘designers’ are limited to budget, to client expectations, to a time scale…..they have fallen into the trap of conventional profit making architecture. I guess they dislike crazy student projects because it reminds them how boring and mundane they have let themselves become.
Yes, the design might be naive to real world parameters, but it is theoretical. Let loose. You are a young designer learning how to create. Also, if you have enough drive, vision, and personality you could make this in the real world. I say well done.
February 10th, 2009 at 10:56 am
The Pratt Institute….says it all really.
February 10th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
lets hope the credit crunch affects frenzy developers from commissioning such buildings (if buildings is the proper term). stop shameless aRCHITECTURE (small ‘a’ intended). sorry.
February 10th, 2009 at 2:17 pm
Like many others here, this trend continues to bother me. Projects like this should be completed in an elective class where they teach you how to stretch and use blend shape in Maya. By making these forms, our student is learning nothing of architectural design.
Forms like this are far too arbitrary. Even if there is some underlying logic to the generation of the form, all meaning would be lost on the casual user of the building, which by the way, would not be an art museum (where is the artwork?!?).
And a personal response to Archandy – “the trap of profit making architecture” ??? I hate to break it to you, but architecture is barely a profit making enterprise as it is and insanely innefficient, completely custom buildings won’t help the situation.
February 10th, 2009 at 3:07 pm
Thiefsie, I see the slight mistake of the last statement in my previous comment. What I meant to say was “lesser known architectural institutions to that of Pratt, GSD, AA, Bartlett”.
February 10th, 2009 at 3:46 pm
Its a student project for christs sake. the kid has enough time to learn about Palladio and Viollet LeDuc. Cut him some slack already.
February 10th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
It shows an impressive level of skill at 3D rendering but based on the interior views I don’t see how it could actually be used as an art museum, or how it could actually be built for that matter.. The context-less appearance of the exterior views and highly polished metallic finish would also conern me. There should be a separate site somewhere for student projects only, it’s not really fair to judge them against the other material posted on this site.
February 10th, 2009 at 5:40 pm
congrats Elliot!
February 10th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
love it!
February 10th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
In respond to sj;
what i am saying is not that we should stop experimenting. But i am tierd of seeing the same experimenting all over the world…(Im at a small school in sweden and i can easily say that we are at the same level of modeltechnic than this, and we started working with maya in october, just sitt 16h/day for 10 days and your here…)
“Exploration of surface-condition”… Not so sure that students are coming up with that field of exploration by them self all the time. Whats mostly taught in some classes today are blendshapes, subdivs vs. nurbs and so on, not how to create a working public space, that can be new and experimental at the same time. And I am not critizising Eliott in person, more the trend thats going on at schools right now. There must be other things that are interesting to explore than surfaces and forms.
February 10th, 2009 at 11:34 pm
Bravo …..A great endeavor and project for a third year student. The intended use, Mr White explains, is to contain a large scale model of New York City’s five boroughs. What a curious way to represent the five boroughs inside this structure…an entire city within a skin… rather like the human form.
February 11th, 2009 at 12:52 am
First I’d like to say that I would love to enter a building like this someday whether a “third year student” or Toyo Ito created it. As to those of you who think this space is not conducive to art may I remind you of the new Libeskind art museum in Denver! If that can work to showcase art, anything can.
And to all of you whiney, unsatisified, disgruntled, bitter architects and wannabe architects I say get over your inflated egos and be more encouraging to the next generation!
What is art and architecture without trends?! Would you snub Renoir because Monet was more well known for impressionism first? Let us not forget about visions and dreams before practicality and budget. Dubai has embraced this notion, why can’t the rest of us?
February 11th, 2009 at 3:06 am
I have to agree with a number of the previous posts, displaying student work is important however all we see, especially on this site is the same vague attempts to master 3d modeling software and not the architecture itself. With nearly all the previous student articles we can all see that there really is no substance beyond the initial awe of the renderings. I’m sure Elliot is a talented student but his work at this stage is time is not deserving of publishing. It is just another example then is being regurgitated throughout architecture schools internationally.
February 11th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
just let them do some panelization and the “thing” is gone…
museum without context; not for art… just does not fit into the surrounding…
February 11th, 2009 at 3:54 pm
I think conceptually, it’s a very nice piece, but, as many others have stated, it lacks practicality and to me the spacial planning seems to be completely arbitrary.
February 11th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
enough testicules, thanks !
February 11th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
It’s like a kaola bear crapped a rainbow in my brain!
February 12th, 2009 at 12:54 am
i see a sideways vagina…anyway of this being built right next to swiss re?
February 12th, 2009 at 4:52 am
where do you hang the paintings?
February 12th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
dude, stop smoking hadid!
February 12th, 2009 at 1:32 pm
Rock on, Elliot (!) Let the haters hate…do your thing. Interesting concept, I suspect the biggest part of the budget would go to developing the bladder that would hold up the forms; or maybe William Massie’s approach with styrofoam forms for casting. A CNC operator’s dream (!)
February 12th, 2009 at 1:35 pm
following the designer words, this could be a plain ORTHOGONAL building
not wasting millions in peoples efforts to achieve that ameba
February 12th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Hummmmmm, Nice project, i dont know why here, there’s a lot of people against the human mind exploration, remember the old eras when the gothic wasnt gothic, maybe in the past time someone push him mind out of the ambigous and classic way of seen the architecture, and get into the gothic trend. be smarts this project its the reality of our contemporaneous trend of computers, and virtual world inside our minds and electronics machines, why we dont put this amazing project in the virtual space of our life, in a parallel dimension ?……….. dont be dumb get it all of our mind cand imagine and concebir, this is architecture.
February 12th, 2009 at 2:30 pm
* Student works should be shared and commented on in public forums like this.
* Students should be allowed to experiment.
* It is easy to claim something is derivative because it looks sort of like it falls into one camp or another that critics have typed famous architects into or that architects have claimed as their own. Also note that such claims of derivation seem to be a name dropping game. How many times can we drop the name Zaha Hadid? Perhaps the student was actually inspired by some lesser known work of Jungermann. Or perhaps Hadid is as influenced by her tools as these students are.
* However, the point of such encouragement is to allow for a broader base of critique.
So …
* Buildings have context. Most student projects that get shown off like this are entirely lacking in context. For instance, where in Queens could you even put such a thing, and what sort of dialog would it establish with the surrounding architecture? Would it become nothing but a larger version of Tokyo’s Golden Turd?
* Buildings have function. Judging from the interior shots of this structure, the only function the building serves is to create space. As someone asked already, where would you hang the art?
* Buildings, certainly public buildings, need to relate to people.
* Overlooking these factors is not intellectual experimentation, it is intellectual laziness. On the other hand, learning where your weaknesses are and overcoming them is a critical aprt of learning.
February 12th, 2009 at 3:16 pm
to rudedude–that’s exactly what they said about Ghery. I can’t believe how many people are critical of this–just goes to show you how many insecure designers/architects are out there…Aren’t we getting sick of stereotypes yet? Just because this is a student work doesn’t make it any less valid or interesting. I find it refreshing.
February 12th, 2009 at 5:39 pm
I don’t think there is anything wrong having student’s work shown here, experimental and radical enough with such guts to do it. After all, are’nt academic works and academic training supposed to be a time for nuturing a habit for endless experimentation?
Let alone the student finds his way to make sense of it when he gets into professional practice. I say we should not put down students with the care to try different things to intrigue or even inspire many other fellow designers.
February 12th, 2009 at 6:02 pm
Look ma! My first Maya project!
And to all those complaining about criticism of this or any project… we’re designers, not yes men. Feel free to rubber stamp any and all banal projects at school/work as you see fit.
In terms of the “this can’t be built” argument, please see Toyo Ito’s crematorium (http://www.bdonline.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=3082629).
February 15th, 2009 at 10:37 am
This is a brilliant job, Good Luck Elliot.
February 16th, 2009 at 1:12 am
Honestly, do you all remember how you got to become designers and architects? By being a student. You were not born as the skilled professionals that you now are. You relied on education and feedback from others to hone your skills.
Some of the nasty comments above are so completely unnecessary. Sure there could be a little more discipline to this design, but he’s in 3rd year people… it’s all about unimpeded idea and concept generation at this stage. The how and why will be developed with time. That’s if he makes it to 4th year after receiving so much soul destroying and confidence blasting responses.
Be constructive with your criticism and STOP being so elitist. You might learn a thing or two from young bright sparks if you removed your head from your asses.
Keep going Elliot, some bright ideas emerging there! Also a lesson that you can’t please everyone so don’t try to or worry about it!
And a note to all of you “it’s not original” critics, nothing is original anymore, everything is an adaptation of something. It’s whether or not this appropriation is relevant which counts.
February 16th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
I’m jealous.
Product design stories never get as many responses as the architeture stories.
Bah.
Thus is the hierarchy….but I still reckon I could defeat ten skinny be-spectacled black jumper types in fisticuffs any day.
Hah.
March 9th, 2009 at 10:01 am
i have another example for a bitter duplicate.
look this – http://www.jmayerh.de/work/buildings/metropol/build_in.htm
and look this – http://www.baunetz.de/diplomderwoche/Parametrisches_Modellieren_649522.html?s_hochschule=56546
but what should we do