2. Mariana Ibañez Simon Kim, AIA
Argentinean architect and designer Registered Architect
Associate Professor of Architecture at Assistant Professor at the University
the Harvard University Graduate of Pennsylvania’s School of Design
School of Design Graduated from the Design Research
Bachelor of Architecture from the Laboratory at the Architectural
University of Buenos Aires Association
Master of Architecture from the Researches architecture with
Architectural Association in London electronics, environments, and urban
Work focused on responsive space
environments Works with cybernetics and machines
Led the design for the London Director of Immersive Kinematics
Aquatic Centre for 2012 Olympic Research Group
Games
3. Ibañez and Kim sought to transform the
MoMA Ps1 courtyard into a setting for
social activities, by building structures that
are based on the geometry of the original
courtyard walls.
The “Mechanical Garden” utilizes unique
geometric designs to allow visitors to relax
in a well-shaded environment that will
allow them to stop and enjoy their
surroundings.
“From the entrance to the
courtyard, visitors can choose from a
forking path and find their moments of
refreshment, play, and pause.”
4. The Mechanical Garden stays true to its name: it is sectioned off into various
man-made rooms including a café/bar, stage, play area, dance floor, “wet
area”, and lobby, that still manage to surprise and fascinate visitors like a garden
full of a variety of plants would.
5. With Kim and Ibañez’s
creation, the PS1 courtyard can
be used for a variety of
activities and is not restricted to
a few uses.
Normally, the sharp corners
that recur in the design of the
courtyard may seem unsettling
but Ibañez and Kim have
arranged the shapes to allow for
a relaxing environment which
encourages visitors to just sit
down and enjoy the shade.
Kim and Ibañez have filled up
the whole space of the PS1
courtyard with their
design, effectively using all the
space provided.
6. The construction of the Mechanical Garden is feasible, in that it assembles a series
of characters into shaded archways and pathways. Its structure allows for relaxation
by reinforcing the pre-existing layout of the courtyard, and contouring to the
geometry of the walls. This is made possible by the use of similar elements to
construct each Character; they differ in traits and orientation, creating a pleasing
environment.
7. The Ibañez Kim Studio addresses
social, environmental, and cultural issues
through the expression “refreshment, play, and
pause.” By creating an internal structure, its
function serves to provide a social atmosphere.
Visitors may choose from a forking pathway at
the entrance, to their area of pleasure. The
construction becomes a place of both
community and comfort, reaffirming societies
need to interact. Hence, its purpose is to
provide “new narrative, social engagement, and
active environments” through the use of a
sustainable mechanical garden.
8. The YAP Term Proposal is as follows: to
provide an innovative, creative design for a
temporary installation that provides
shade, seating, and water.
The Mechanical Garden, upon
observation, seems to fall well within the
guidelines required of it. There is a moderate
amount of seating, capable of attending to
many weary feet. The structure itself is
angled in a way that provides plenty of
shade, and the benches are strategically
positioned to benefit those who sit with it.
As for water, there is a special “wet area” for
those visitors that just wish to play around in
water, especially on hot days.
9. The Ibañez Kim Studio is working together with Carbon Dance
Theatre for a project called Science per Forms. We can only hope to
guess that the Dance Theatre will dance to the theme of science.
Simon Kim is part of the Immersive Kinematics Group at
PennDesign and he believes that “architecture is design untethered to
any kind of physical restrictions” and thus is working with his group
on a building that could “pulse or move.”
